8 census tracts · pop 20,415 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.5/10
· range 5.3–7.8
Palmer Square takes in 8 census tracts of Chicago, IL, population 20,415. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 6.5/10, Elevated tier. Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 5.3 to 7.8, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk.
The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 8/10. Against a Chicago baseline of 29.3%, 36% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line. Severe burden reaches 16%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.
Average gross rent is $1,729, 20% above the Chicago average of $1,440. On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 7.5/10.
Court records carry 1,995 eviction filings across its 8 observed tracts. Filing activity peaked in 2011 at 8.0% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 1.5% in 2015, is well off that peak.
Among the 187 mapped neighborhoods of Chicago, it ranks #110 by risk, the middle third. For a like-for-like read, Avalon Trails and Sheridan Park score within a fraction of it. Annual rent works out to 20% of average household income of $103,735.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 6.5 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
6.5
Elevated
8 tracts · population-weighted
Palmer Square vs ChicagoHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority67%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport75%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Palmer Square
Aggregated across 8 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,995Total filings (sum)
2.41%Avg annual filing rate
8.0%Peak year (2011)
1.52%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Palmer Square
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
13.8%Housing insecurity
7.4%Utility shutoff threat
15.3%Food insecurity
11.9%SNAP enrollment
11.0%No health insurance
21.0%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Palmer Square
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Palmer Square?
Palmer Square scores 6.5/10 (Elevated tier) across 8 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 Palmer Square compare to Chicago overall?
Palmer Square scores 0.2 points lower than Chicago overall (6.7/10). Renters spend 36% of income on rent vs 29% citywide. Average rent: $1,729 vs $1,440.
Q3
What is the average rent in Palmer Square?
Average gross rent in Palmer Square is $1,729/month (pop-weighted across 8 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 36% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Palmer Square residents are renters?
62% of Palmer Square households are renter-occupied (vs 54% in Chicago). The neighborhood has 20,415 residents.
Q5
Is Palmer Square a high social-vulnerability area?
Palmer Square sits in the 55th 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
Which tracts in Palmer Square have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Palmer Square is census tract 17031230100 (score 7.8/10). Across the 8 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.3 to 7.8, a spread of 2.5 points.
Q7
How safe is Palmer Square for landlords?
Palmer Square carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.5/10). Pop-weighted across 8 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Chicago as a whole (6.7/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Palmer Square?
Palmer Square has 19,989 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (48.3%), Hispanic / Latino (33.8%), Black (non-Hispanic) (6.5%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
