Neighborhood · Ranked #56,660 of 84,120 nationally

Downtown North Eviction Risk: Lower , Palo Alto

Tract 06085511609 · Santa Clara, CA · pop 3,274 · neighborhood within 0.9 mi

In the Downtown North area of Palo Alto, census tract 06085511609 scores 5.1/10 for eviction risk. It lands near the 43rd percentile nationally for landlord eviction risk.

42% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 21% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average rent runs $3,501 a month against an average household income of $144,575 a year, roughly 29% of income at the averages. About 89% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

3.1

Lower

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 38% Stable renters 51% Owners 11%

Tract context

Occupied units1,633

Renter share89.3%

SVI overall0.46

Poverty rate4.9%

Median income$144,575

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Palo Alto and the region

Centroid at 37.4385, -122.1744 · click any tract to drill in

Why Downtown North scores 3.1

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Palo Alto

8.1

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

7.4

State political climate

California legislature & governorship

6.8

Economic stress

4.9% poverty · this tract

1.2

Supply constraint

$3,501 rent vs county FMR

5.2

Rent control risk

Inherited from Palo Alto

4.4

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

6.6

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Palo Alto

8.8

Housing court bias

Inherited from Palo Alto

3.9

How Downtown North compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 46

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

4%Socioeconomic
57%Household composition
60%Racial/ethnic minority
94%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within Downtown North. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

CDC PLACES 2023 · health & economic stress

Eviction-adjacent indicators

Crude prevalence of conditions linked to housing loss. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh), 2023 model-based small-area estimates.

5.3%Housing insecurity
2.8%Utility-shutoff threat
5.2%Food insecurity
3.8%SNAP enrollment
3.8%Transit barriers
3.3%No health insurance
11.9%Frequent mental distress
22.0%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Downtown North

What moves this score most is tenant organizing strength at 8.8/10. That part comes from the wider legal climate rather than the tract itself. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Palo Alto, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores below the Santa Clara County average of 5.4 and below the California statewide average of 6.1. Within its own county it reads on the safer side for landlords.

The tract is White and Asian and ranks around the 46th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

In CDC survey modeling, about 5.3% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 2.8% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 06085511609

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 06085511609?

Census tract 06085511609 in the Downtown North neighborhood scores 3.1/10 (Lower tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 06085511609?

Median gross rent is $3,501/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 42% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 06085511609?

4.9% of residents in tract 06085511609 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 3,274.

How socially vulnerable is tract 06085511609?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 46th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 4th, household 57th, minority 60th, housing 94th.

Is tract 06085511609 considered part of Downtown North?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 06085511609 fall within Downtown North (neighborhood centroid within 0.9 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 06085511609 struggle to pay rent?

About 5.3% of adults in this tract reported housing insecurity (could not pay rent or mortgage in the past 12 months), per the CDC PLACES 2023 model-based small-area estimate. 2.8% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 06085511609 compare to Palo Alto overall?

Tract 06085511609 scores 3.1/10, lower than the parent city of Palo Alto at 7.8/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Palo Alto; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Palo Alto

Top eight tracts in Palo Alto ranked by composite eviction-risk score.