1 census tracts · pop 3,969 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8.5/10
· range 8.5–8.5
Waterfront maps to a single census tract in Santa Barbara, CA, population 3,969. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 8.5/10, in the High tier. 58% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, far above the Santa Barbara rate of 33.4%.
What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 9.6/10. The severe-burden share is 31%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. 86% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over.
Set annual rent against average household income of $82,826 and the ratio lands at 33%, above the conventional 30% ceiling. Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 7.7/10.
Running cool is supply constraint, at 2.6/10. The poverty rate is 16%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
That places it #2 of 7 neighborhoods in Santa Barbara. For a like-for-like read, East Side and Funk Zone score within a fraction of it.
Social vulnerability runs high at 8.6/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input. Average gross rent runs $2,295, close to the Santa Barbara average.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 8.5/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
8.5
High
1 tracts · population-weighted
Waterfront vs Santa BarbaraHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority75%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport89%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Waterfront
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
19.6%Housing insecurity
10.8%Utility shutoff threat
24.5%Food insecurity
22.8%SNAP enrollment
14.6%No health insurance
33.9%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Waterfront
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Waterfront?
Waterfront scores 8.5/10 (High 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 Waterfront compare to Santa Barbara overall?
Waterfront scores 0.7 points higher than Santa Barbara overall (7.8/10). Renters spend 58% of income on rent vs 33% citywide. Average rent: $2,295 vs $2,413.
Q3
What is the average rent in Waterfront?
Average gross rent in Waterfront is $2,295/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 58% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Waterfront residents are renters?
86% of Waterfront households are renter-occupied (vs 60% in Santa Barbara). The neighborhood has 3,969 residents.
Q5
Is Waterfront a high social-vulnerability area?
Waterfront sits in the 84th 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.
Q6
How safe is Waterfront for landlords?
Waterfront carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8.5/10). 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 Santa Barbara as a whole (7.8/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Waterfront?
Waterfront has 3,673 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (46.7%), White (non-Hispanic) (42.9%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (7.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.