1 census tracts · pop 2,763 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.8/10
· range 4.8–4.8
Bell-Merrill is a one-tract neighborhood of Dothan, AL and houses 2,763 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 4.8/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10.
Cost burden runs 38% against 28.7% citywide, putting Bell-Merrill 9.5% over its own city. Severe burden reaches 22%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.
The poverty rate is 27%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. On the softer side is tenant-organizing strength, at 2/10.
SNAP participation is 30.7% of households versus 15.2% nationally. Disability prevalence reaches 46.8% against a 31.5% national average, which raises the odds a reasonable-accommodation request accompanies any dispute. The filing record is not thin: 146 evictions logged in this tract.
Well under the midpoint is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10. Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 4.3% of renter households.
Average gross rent is $876, 9% below the Dothan average of $960. Recent filings have not receded much: 3.8% in 2014 against a 4.3% peak.
That places it #1 of 11 neighborhoods in Dothan.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 4.8/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.8
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
Bell-Merrill vs DothanHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority72%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport7%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Bell-Merrill
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
146Total filings (sum)
3.40%Avg annual filing rate
4.3%Peak year (2010)
3.81%Latest filed (2014)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Bell-Merrill
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
24.4%Housing insecurity
17.7%Utility shutoff threat
34.8%Food insecurity
30.7%SNAP enrollment
15.5%No health insurance
46.8%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Bell-Merrill
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Bell-Merrill?
Bell-Merrill scores 4.8/10 (Moderate tier) across 1 census tracts. The pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income and poverty signals.
Q2
How does Bell-Merrill compare to Dothan overall?
Bell-Merrill scores 1.4 points higher than Dothan overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 38% of income on rent vs 29% citywide. Average rent: $876 vs $960.
Q3
What is the average rent in Bell-Merrill?
Average gross rent in Bell-Merrill is $876/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 38% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Bell-Merrill residents are renters?
45% of Bell-Merrill households are renter-occupied (vs 43% in Dothan). The neighborhood has 2,763 residents.
Q5
Is Bell-Merrill a high social-vulnerability area?
Bell-Merrill sits in the 62nd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is Bell-Merrill for landlords?
Bell-Merrill carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.8/10). Pop-weighted across 1 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Dothan as a whole (3.4/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Bell-Merrill?
Bell-Merrill has 2,789 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (48.3%), White (non-Hispanic) (39.9%), Other / Multiracial (6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
