• A file photo of an eviction notice.  Photo: Designer491/iStock
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A file photo of an eviction notice. 
A file photo of an eviction notice. 
Photo: Designer491/iStock
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A protester holds up a sign during a protest against evictions in San Francisco. Click on the slideshow for the 20 San Francisco neighborhoods with the most evictions and the most popular types of evictions in each area.

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A protester holds up a sign during a protest against evictions in San Francisco. Click on the slideshow for the 20 San Francisco neighborhoods with the most evictions and the most popular types of evictions in

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Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle
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No. 20. Inner Richmond
Total evictions: 200
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 72 
Second most common eviction: Breach — 49

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 20. Inner Richmond
Total evictions: 200
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 72 
Second most common eviction: Breach — 49

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Jen Fedrizzi, Special To The Chronicle
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No. 19. Inner Sunset
Total evictions since 2011: 208
Most common eviction: Breach — 41 
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 40 

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 19. Inner Sunset
Total evictions since 2011: 208
Most common eviction: Breach — 41 
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 40 

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Jessica Christian / The Chronicle
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No. 18. Noe Valley
Total evictions since 2011: 214
Most common eviction: Breach — 73
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 53

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 18. Noe Valley
Total evictions since 2011: 214
Most common eviction: Breach — 73
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 53

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Marcell Puzsar Photography
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No. 17. Haight Ashbury
Total evictions since 2011: 222
Most common eviction: Breach — 49
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 47

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 17. Haight Ashbury
Total evictions since 2011: 222
Most common eviction: Breach — 49
Second most common eviction: Owner move in — 47

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Andrea Sachs, Washington Post
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No. 16. North Beach
Total evictions since 2011: 235
Most common eviction: Breach — 93
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 32

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 16. North Beach
Total evictions since 2011: 235
Most common eviction: Breach — 93
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 32

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Erin Brethauer, The Chronicle
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No. 15. Pacific Heights
Total evictions since 2011: 242
Most common eviction: Breach — 81
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 34

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 15. Pacific Heights
Total evictions since 2011: 242
Most common eviction: Breach — 81
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 34

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: John King / The Chronicle
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No. 14. Bernal Heights
Total evictions since 2011: 244
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 59
Second most common eviction: Breach — 44

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 14. Bernal Heights
Total evictions since 2011: 244
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 59
Second most common eviction: Breach — 44

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: CRAIG LEE
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No. 13. Hayes Valley
Total evictions since 2011: 247
Most common eviction: Breach — 59
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 58

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 13. Hayes Valley
Total evictions since 2011: 247
Most common eviction: Breach — 59
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 58

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle
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No. 12. Russian Hill
Total evictions since 2011: 257
Most common eviction: Breach — 87
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 44

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 12. Russian Hill
Total evictions since 2011: 257
Most common eviction: Breach — 87
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 44

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Craig Hudson, The Chronicle
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No. 11. Bayview Hunters Point
Total evictions since 2011: 260
Most common eviction: Breach — 76
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 48

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 11. Bayview Hunters Point
Total evictions since 2011: 260
Most common eviction: Breach — 76
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 48

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle
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No. 10. Marina
Total evictions since 2011: 293
Most common eviction: Breach — 107
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 55

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 10. Marina
Total evictions since 2011: 293
Most common eviction: Breach — 107
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 55

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
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No. 9. Excelsior
Total evictions since 2011: 294
Most common eviction: Breach — 67
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 66

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 9. Excelsior
Total evictions since 2011: 294
Most common eviction: Breach — 67
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 66

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle
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No. 8. Castro/Upper Market
Total evictions since 2011: 336
Most common eviction: Breach — 105
Second most common eviction: Owner move-in — 55

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 8. Castro/Upper Market
Total evictions since 2011: 336
Most common eviction: Breach — 105
Second most common eviction: Owner move-in — 55

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Bob Bragman
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No. 7. Nob Hill
Total evictions since 2011: 356
Most common eviction: Breach — 105
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 78

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 7. Nob Hill
Total evictions since 2011: 356
Most common eviction: Breach — 105
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 78

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Pete Kiehart, The Chronicle
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No. 6. Outer Richmond
Total evictions since 2011: 458
Most common eviction: Breach — 103
Second most common eviction: Owner move-in — 88

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 6. Outer Richmond
Total evictions since 2011: 458
Most common eviction: Breach — 103
Second most common eviction: Owner move-in — 88

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Peter Hartlaub, The Chronicle
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No. 5. Lakeshore
Total evictions since 2011: 475
Most common eviction: Breach — 451
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 16

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board

No. 5. Lakeshore
Total evictions since 2011: 475
Most common eviction: Breach — 451
Second most common eviction: Nuisance — 16

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle
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No. 4. Tenderloin
Total evictions since 2011: 497
Most common eviction: Nuisance — 202
Second most common eviction: Breach — 197

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 4. Tenderloin
Total evictions since 2011: 497
Most common eviction: Nuisance — 202
Second most common eviction: Breach — 197

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Greg Keraghosian
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No. 3. South of Market
Total evictions since 2011: 539
Most common eviction: Development — 232
Second most common eviction: Breach — 112

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 3. South of Market
Total evictions since 2011: 539
Most common eviction: Development — 232
Second most common eviction: Breach — 112

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Mike Moffitt/SFGATE
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No. 2. Sunset/Parkside
Total evictions since 2011: 572
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 157
Second most common eviction: Breach — 122

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 2. Sunset/Parkside
Total evictions since 2011: 572
Most common eviction: Owner move-in — 157
Second most common eviction: Breach — 122

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
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No. 1. Mission
Total evictions since 2011: 908
Most common eviction: Breach — 234
Second most common eviction: Ellis Act Withdrawal — 175

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
No. 1. Mission
Total evictions since 2011: 908
Most common eviction: Breach — 234
Second most common eviction: Ellis Act Withdrawal — 175

Data 2011-15. Source: San Francisco Rent Board
Photo: Connor Radnovich, The Chronicle
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San Francisco experienced 593 evictions in 2016, according to new data compiled by Princeton researchers. That's about 1.62 evictions each day.

The Bay Area figures are low compared to many other parts of the state and the country. California as a whole experienced more than 40,000 evictions in 2016 – an eviction rate of .83 per 100 renter-occupied household.

The California eviction rate is actually 1.51 percent under the national average; San Francisco is 2.09 below. As a point of comparison, in North Charleston, South Carolina, courts served 3,660 eviction notices in 2016 – or 10.3 households evicted per day. The Princeton data shows Southeastern cities have the highest eviction rates in the country, not expensive coastal cities, as one might expect.

The figures comes from a new project by Princeton sociologist Matthew Desmond, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Evicted." Desmond and a team of researchers launched Eviction Lab earlier this month to serve as the first-ever database of nationwide evictions.

The project is an impressive one, but it's difficult to comprehend evictions as data for multiple reasons. For one, comparing state and county eviction rates is an analytical nightmare.

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"It's like looking at apples and oranges," said Robert Collins, executive director of the San Francisco Rent Board, which publishes its own annual eviction report. The data from the rent board's most recent report projects slightly different data from Desmond's findings – 1,881 attempted evictions in 2016 compared to Desmond's 1,176.

Collins had yet to thoroughly probe the Eviction Lab data, but he had some initial misgivings about the project. Other states follow different court procedures for evictions, he said. Plus, they may report filings differently.

To complicate matters, many California eviction court records are sealed, in part to protect tenant privacy in future dealings with landlords. While we do have a sense of how many eviction notices are filed in California courts each year, it's unclear how many of these result in action.

One must also consider the availability of affordable housing. The median property value in San Francisco County is about double the state average, according to Desmond's data, while the average annual income is only $20,000 higher in San Francisco compared to the rest of California.

If you lose your home in San Francisco, it's ostensibly more difficult to find another one compared to other parts of the state and country. Though the eviction rate in Richmond, Virginia, may be nearly 45 times that of San Francisco, the availability of homes is higher in the southeastern state.

Though Desmond's picture may be incomplete, its value to lawmakers and the public remains. San Francisco is expensive, and it's difficult to live here, but the county also has a wider safety net and more tenant protections than many others in the nation.

For Collins, it's important to not dwell solely on data.

"Humans don't understand things from a mathematical perspective exactly," he said. "We think in stories ... We sob for the individual."

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.