14 census tracts · pop 42,118 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 9/10
· range 8.4–9.9
Sawtelle Japantown is a 14-tract neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA and houses 42,118 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 9/10, placing it in the High tier. Against a Los Angeles baseline of 35.0%, 50% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
The strongest single driver of the headline number is rent-regulation exposure at 10/10. On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 9.5/10.
Sitting well above the midpoint is tenant-organizing strength at 9.5/10. Severe burden reaches 26%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. At $2,557 a month, rents sit 32% over what the rest of Los Angeles commands.
This is a renter market: 78% of occupied units are tenant-occupied. Scores across the 14 constituent tracts range from 8.4 to 9.9. A 1.5-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here.
5.1% of adults carry no health insurance against 11.3% nationally, a common route into sudden unpayable debt. Among the 161 mapped neighborhoods of Los Angeles, it ranks #105 by risk, the middle third. The closest comparables inside the same city are Granada Hills and Oxford Square.
Annual rent works out to 28% of average household income of $108,319.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.5 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
9
High
14 tracts · population-weighted
Sawtelle Japantown vs Los AngelesHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority64%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport60%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Sawtelle Japantown
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
9.5%Housing insecurity
4.3%Utility shutoff threat
10.2%Food insecurity
8.6%SNAP enrollment
5.0%No health insurance
22.1%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Sawtelle Japantown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Sawtelle Japantown?
Sawtelle Japantown scores 9/10 (High tier) across 14 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 Sawtelle Japantown compare to Los Angeles overall?
Sawtelle Japantown scores 0.8 points lower than Los Angeles overall (9.8/10). Renters spend 50% of income on rent vs 35% citywide. Average rent: $2,557 vs $1,933.
Q3
What is the average rent in Sawtelle Japantown?
Average gross rent in Sawtelle Japantown is $2,557/month (pop-weighted across 14 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 50% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Sawtelle Japantown residents are renters?
78% of Sawtelle Japantown households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Los Angeles). The neighborhood has 42,118 residents.
Q5
Is Sawtelle Japantown a high social-vulnerability area?
Sawtelle Japantown sits in the 38th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (less vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
Which tracts in Sawtelle Japantown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Sawtelle Japantown is census tract 06037267404 (score 9.9/10). Across the 14 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 8.4 to 9.9, a spread of 1.5 points.
Q7
How safe is Sawtelle Japantown for landlords?
Sawtelle Japantown carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (9/10). Pop-weighted across 14 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Los Angeles as a whole (9.8/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Sawtelle Japantown?
Sawtelle Japantown has 43,492 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (51.2%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (21.2%), Hispanic / Latino (16.4%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
