When I first came across the Idaho Policy Institute’s eviction data for 2020, one number immediately caught my attention and refused to let go. While the entire state of Idaho was grappling with housing instability during the pandemic, Shoshone County stood out with a formal eviction rate of 1.10 per centper cent. That might not sound like much at first glance, but consider this: it was nearly double the statewide average of 0.6 per cent. In a year when emergency rental assistance programs and eviction moratoriums were supposed to keep people in their homes, this small rural county in northern Idaho was experiencing a housing crisis that rivalled those in the state’s larger urban centres.
I have spent considerable time analysing housing data from various sources, and I can tell you that numbers like these rarely tell the full story on their own. They are snapshots, moments frozen in spreadsheets and databases, but behind every percentage point are real families, real struggles, and real consequences that ripple through communities for years. The Idaho Policy Institute, which operates out of Boise State University’s School of Public Service, has been tracking these patterns since before the pandemic, and its 2020 data reveals something important about how rural communities experience economic displacement differently than their urban counterparts. What makes this particular dataset so valuable is that it comes from actual court filings processed through the Idaho Supreme Court, meaning these are formal evictions—legal actions that went through the judicial system and resulted in court-ordered removals. This distinction matters enormously because it represents only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to housing instability.
To understand what the Idaho Policy Institute’s formal eviction rate 2020 Shoshone County data actually means, we need to look at the broader context of that strange and difficult year. In 2020, Idaho averaged 3.1 formal evictions every single day across the entire state. That translated to 1,893 households out of 189,292 renting households facing eviction filings, with 1,127 actually resulting in formal removals by court order. These numbers actually represented a 30 per centper cent decrease from 2019, when the statewide rate was 1.4 per centper cent. At first, this drop seems counterintuitive. How could eviction rates fall during a year of massive unemployment and economic disruption? The answer lies in the unprecedented federal and state interventions that characterised 2020, including the CDC’s nationwide eviction moratorium, various state-level protections, and the massive influx of emergency rental assistance funds that kept many families housed even when they couldn’t pay rent.
However, the statewide average masks significant regional variations, and Shoshone County’s experience demonstrates how rural areas often fall through the cracks of even well-intentioned assistance programs. The county, which sits in the northern panhandle of Idaho and has a population of just over 12,000 people, has an economy historically tied to the mining and timber industries, which have faced decades of decline. When I look at housing markets in rural communities like this, I see a fundamental mismatch between housing stock, employment opportunities, and wage levels that creates persistent vulnerability. The rental market in Shoshone County is not just small—it is fragile. When a few families lose housing, the impact is magnified because there are so few alternative options available. Unlike in Boise or Meridian, where someone facing eviction might find another apartment across town, in Shoshone County and similar rural communities, displacement often means leaving the area entirely or facing homelessness in a region with extremely limited shelter capacity.
The methodology behind the Idaho Policy Institute’s research deserves attention because it helps explain both the value and limitations of this data. The Institute collects filing and eviction data directly from the Idaho Supreme Court annually, which gives them access to comprehensive records of legal actions but also creates a specific definition of eviction that excludes many housing losses. Their data reflects only court filings and formal evictions ordered by a judge. This means that informal evictions, where tenants are compelled to leave without legal action through tactics such as threats, utility shutoffs, or lease nonrenewal, are not captured in these statistics. Anyone who has worked in tenant advocacy or housing services knows that informal evictions likely outnumber formal ones in many communities, particularly in rural areas where legal resources are scarce and landlord-tenant relationships may be more personal and less regulated. The 1.10 per cent formal eviction rate in Shoshone County, alarming as it is, likely represents only a fraction of the actual housing instability in that community.
When we examine why Shoshone County showed such elevated rates compared to the rest of Idaho, we need to consider the region’s unique economic and social characteristics. The county seat, Wallace, and the larger community of Kellogg have populations that have been shrinking or stagnant for decades following the decline of the silver mining industry that once drove the local economy. The closure of the Bunker Hill Mine and Smelter in the 1980s eliminated hundreds of well-paying jobs, and the region has struggled to replace that economic foundation. Today, employment opportunities are limited, wages are lower than state averages, and many residents work in service industries, seasonal tourism, or commute to larger employment centres. This economic context creates a population particularly vulnerable to housing instability, as there is little buffer against financial shocks. When someone loses a job, faces a medical emergency, or experiences a reduction in hours, there are few resources to fall back on, and the rental housing that does exist is often older, less maintained, and still priced at levels that strain limited budgets.
The 2020 data also needs to be understood within the specific context of that year’s policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to research from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, which developed a policy scorecard for state pandemic responses, Idaho received a score of just 0.5 out of 5 possible points. This low score reflected the reality that Idaho had no statewide orders preventing or limiting evictions during the crisis beyond a temporary suspension of court hearings that eventually expired. While the federal CDC moratorium provided some protection, its implementation was uneven, and many landlords found ways to work around it. Emergency rental assistance programs, which ultimately prevented nearly 15,000 evictions in Idaho, according to the Idaho Centre for Fiscal Policy, reached many families but faced significant barriers in rural areas. The application processes often required internet access, documentation that low-income renters might not have readily available, and persistence in navigating overwhelmed bureaucratic systems. In Shoshone County, where broadband access is limited and social service infrastructure is less developed than in urban areas, these barriers were likely more significant, meaning that the assistance that helped drive down statewide eviction rates may not have reached rural families as effectively.
Another critical factor in interpreting the Shoshone County data is understanding the difference between rural and urban housing markets in Idaho. The state experienced tremendous population growth over the last decade, particularly in the Boise metropolitan area, which created housing shortages and price increases that affected the entire state. However, the dynamics in growing urban centres differ significantly from those in declining or stagnant rural areas. In Boise, the housing crisis manifests as rapidly rising rents, gentrification, and the displacement of long-term residents who can no longer afford their neighbourhoods. In Shoshone County, the crisis looks different: it involves an ageing housing stock that is deteriorating without investment, a lack of new construction because developers see no profit in small markets, and a population that is economically marginal but has nowhere else to go. The 1.10 per cent eviction rate in this context suggests that, even in a weak housing market with theoretically lower demand, the mismatch between incomes and housing costs is severe enough to push a significant portion of the renting population into formal legal proceedings.
I want to emphasise what these evictions actually mean for the people involved because it is easy to get lost in statistics and forget the human reality. A formal eviction is not just a financial setback; it is a legal judgment that follows a person for years, making it extremely difficult to secure future housing. Most landlords conduct background checks, and an eviction filing—even one that does not result in a court-ordered removal—can disqualify someone from rental consideration. In a small community like Shoshone County, where everyone knows everyone and reputation matters intensely, having an eviction on one’s record can carry social stigma that extends beyond housing into employment and community relationships. Families facing eviction often experience profound stress that affects children’s school performance, parents’ mental health, and physical well-being. The disruption of forced moves can mean changing schools mid-year, losing access to healthcare providers, and severing social support networks, particularly crucial in rural areas where formal services are limited.
Looking at the policy implications of this data, there are both immediate lessons and long-term considerations for Idaho lawmakers and community leaders. The success of emergency rental assistance programs in preventing evictions during 2020 and 2021, despite implementation challenges, demonstrates that financial assistance works when it reaches families in time. However, the Idaho Centre for Fiscal Policy has documented that disbursement rates varied dramatically across administering agencies, with some programs exhausting their funds while others struggled to distribute funds efficiently. For rural counties like Shoshone, the lesson is that assistance programs must be designed with local realities in mind—offering paper applications alongside online ones, providing case management support to help families navigate requirements, and ensuring that outreach reaches isolated communities. The federal government’s recapture of $34 million in unspent Idaho rental assistance funds because of low disbursement rates represents a tragic missed opportunity to prevent housing instability in communities that needed help.
In the long term, Idaho needs to address the fundamental housing shortage that underlies eviction vulnerability. The Idaho Housing Trust Fund, which exists on paper but lacks dedicated funding, could provide gap financing for affordable housing development in rural areas if lawmakers committed revenue sources to it. Paired with the state’s existing Workforce Housing Fund, this could create a range of housing options for different income levels. Federal policy changes, such as expanding the Housing Choice Voucher program and increasing funding for the national Housing Trust Fund, would also benefit rural Idaho communities. However, local solutions matter too. Communities like those in Shoshone County can explore land trust models, cooperative housing, and public-private partnerships that leverage limited resources creatively.
As I reflect on the Idaho Policy Institute’s formal eviction rate data for 2020 in Shoshone County, I am struck by how a single statistic can open a window into complex economic and social dynamics. The 1.10 per cent rate indicates that, despite statewide averages suggesting relative housing stability, rural communities face acute challenges that require targeted attention. It reminds us that aggregate data often hides the experiences of small populations that are statistically insignificant in large-scale analyses but profoundly affected by policy decisions. Most importantly, it underscores that housing instability is not just an urban phenomenon concentrated in major metropolitan areas. The families facing eviction in Wallace, Kellogg, and other Shoshone County communities are experiencing the same fears, disruptions, and long-term consequences as families in much larger cities, but with fewer resources and alternatives available to help them recover.
For policymakers, advocates, and community members, this data should serve as a call to action. The fact that Shoshone County’s eviction rate was nearly double the state average during a year of unprecedented tenant protections suggests that without those protections, the crisis would have been far worse. As emergency rental assistance programs wind down and temporary protections expire, the underlying conditions that created this vulnerability remain unaddressed. Rural Idaho needs housing policies that recognise its unique challenges and provide sustained support rather than crisis-driven interventions. The Idaho Policy Institute’s work in tracking and analysing this data provides the foundation for evidence-based policy. Still, data alone cannot create change without political will and community engagement.
In conclusion, the 1.10 per cent formal eviction rate in Shoshone County in 2020 is more than a statistical anomaly. It is evidence of a rural housing crisis that demands attention and action. Behind that percentage are dozens of families who lost their homes through court proceedings, and likely many more who lost housing through informal means not captured in official data. The contrast with Idaho’s statewide average reveals the uneven geography of housing instability and the particular vulnerability of rural economies in transition. As we move forward from the pandemic period, the lessons of 2020 should inform how we approach housing policy in Idaho, ensuring that small communities are not overlooked in statewide strategies and that the voices of rural tenants are heard in policy discussions. Housing stability is foundational to community health, educational success, and economic opportunity. The data from Shoshone County reminds us that this foundation is cracking in places far from the state’s population centres, and that addressing the crisis requires looking beyond aggregate statistics to understand the lived experiences of vulnerable families in every corner of Idaho.
FAQ Section
What is the Idaho Policy Institute’s formal eviction rate for Shoshone County in 2020?
The Idaho Policy Institute reported that Shoshone County had a formal eviction rate of approximately 1.10% in 2020, which was nearly double the statewide average of 0.6%.
What does “formal eviction” mean in this context?
A formal eviction is a court-ordered removal of a tenant from a rental property that proceeds through the legal system and results in an official judgment. This differs from informal evictions, in which tenants leave without court involvement.
How many evictions occurred statewide in Idaho during 2020?
According to Idaho Policy Institute data, Idaho averaged 3.1 evictions per day in 2020, with 1,893 eviction filings among 189,292 renting households, and 1,127 resulting in formal removals.
Why was Shoshone County’s eviction rate higher than the state average?
Rural counties like Shoshone face unique challenges, including limited employment opportunities, lower wages, ageing housing stock, sparse rental markets, and reduced access to emergency assistance programs compared to urban areas.
Does this data include informal evictions?
No, the Idaho Policy Institute data only captures formal evictions processed through the Idaho Supreme Court. Informal evictions, where tenants leave without legal action, are not included and likely represent a significant additional number of housing losses.
How did COVID-19 policies affect eviction rates in 2020?
Despite the pandemic’s economic impact, eviction rates dropped 30% from 2019 due to the CDC eviction moratorium, emergency rental assistance programs, and court closures. However, these protections were unevenly implemented across the state.
Where can I access the Idaho Policy Institute eviction data?
The data is available through Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute website, which provides an interactive map showing county-level eviction statistics and yearly infographics with statewide comparisons.
