Neighborhood · Birmingham, AL

Ensley Eviction Risk: Moderate

6 census tracts · pop 14,040 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.9/10 · range 5.1–6.3

Ensley is a black (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Birmingham with 6 census tracts and a population of 14,040 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 5.9/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 54% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 37% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $903/month sits 18% lower than the Birmingham citywide average ($1,107).

Risk score

5.9

Moderate

6 tracts · population-weighted

Ensley vs Birmingham How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

53.5% +63%

Birmingham: 32.9%

Average gross rent

$903 -18%

Birmingham: $1,107

Average HH income

$33,360 -25%

Birmingham: $44,376

Poverty rate

27.9% +11%

Birmingham: 25.2%

Renter share

55.0% +1%

Birmingham: 54.5%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Ensley and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 6 tracts span score 5.1–6.3

Why Ensley scores 5.9

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 1.8–1.8 across tracts

1.8

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 5.7–5.7 across tracts

5.7

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 6.5–6.5 across tracts

6.5

Rent control risk

54% of income on rent · Range 1.0–1.0 across tracts

1.0

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts

3.5

Tenant organizing strength

55% renter households · Range 5.0–5.0 across tracts

5.0

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 3.0–3.0 across tracts

3.0

Economic stress

27.9% below poverty line · Range 4.8–8.2 across tracts

7.0

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.2–3.6 across tracts

2.1

Risk score comparison

Ensley vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Ensley?

Left: distribution of constituent tract scores. Right: every tract as a heat square. Click any square to drill in.

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 1.2 points from 5.1 to 6.3. Moderate variation across constituent tracts.

Tracts as heat grid

6.3 6.0 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.1

Each square = one census tract. Color tracks the same green→red ramp as the chloropleth map above.

Census tracts

6 tracts in Ensley

Ranked highest-risk first. Click for per-tract detail.

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
01073003700	6.3	4,511	59%	$855
01073003400	6	1,898	54%	$1,090
01073003100	5.8	3,688	50%	$950
01073003200	5.8	1,141	43%	$852
01073003900	5.7	1,026	51%	$790
01073003300	5.1	1,776	54%	$822

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 88

Pop-weighted across 6 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 95%ile

Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden

Household characteristics 77%ile

Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+

Racial/ethnic minority 95%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 56%ile

Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Ensley

Aggregated across 6 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

2,163Total filings (sum)
5.75%Avg annual filing rate
14.0%Peak year (2016)
6.17%Latest filed (2016)

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Ensley

Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.

30.2%Housing insecurity
24.2%Utility shutoff threat
43.3%Food insecurity
39.8%SNAP enrollment
13.5%No health insurance
47.3%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Ensley

What is the eviction-risk score for Ensley?

Ensley scores 5.9/10 (Moderate tier) across 6 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.

How does Ensley compare to Birmingham overall?

Ensley scores 3.0 points higher than Birmingham overall (2.9/10). Renters spend 54% of income on rent vs 33% citywide. Average rent: $903 vs $1,107.

What is the average rent in Ensley?

Average gross rent in Ensley is $903/month (pop-weighted across 6 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 54% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Ensley residents are renters?

55% of Ensley households are renter-occupied (vs 55% in Birmingham). The neighborhood has 14,040 residents.

Is Ensley a high social-vulnerability area?

Ensley sits in the 88th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (highly vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.

Which tracts in Ensley have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Ensley is census tract 01073003700 (score 6.3/10). Across the 6 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.1 to 6.3, a spread of 1.2 points.

How safe is Ensley for landlords?

Ensley carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.9/10). Pop-weighted across 6 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Birmingham as a whole (2.9/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.

What is the demographic breakdown of Ensley?

Ensley has 13,574 residents (Black (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (83.7%), Other / Multiracial (8.1%), White (non-Hispanic) (5%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Ensley

5.5 Smithfield Historic District 6 tracts · pop 11,928 5.8 Pratt City 2 tracts · pop 7,473 4.6 Cullom Street-Twelfth Street South Historic District 4 tracts · pop 12,304 5.4 Fourth Avenue Historic District 3 tracts · pop 5,619 6.2 North Birmingham 3 tracts · pop 7,664 2.5 Lakewood Hills 3 tracts · pop 14,569

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Birmingham

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Ensley.

5.9 Automotive Historic District 1 tracts · pop 3,171 5.8 Pratt City 2 tracts · pop 7,473 6.1 Marks Village 4 tracts · pop 10,770 5.7 Avondale 2 tracts · pop 3,739 5.7 East Lake 2 tracts · pop 5,100 6.2 Smithfield 1 tracts · pop 2,609

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