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Neighborhood · Chicago, IL

River North Eviction Risk: Moderate

2 census tracts · pop 4,713 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.9/10 · range 5.3–6.1

River North is a 2-tract neighborhood of Chicago, IL and houses 4,713 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 5.9/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. Average gross rent is $2,711, 88% above the Chicago average of $1,440.

The voucher gap is 53.9%: households holding assistance that local rents will not absorb, which shows up as churn rather than arrears. The strongest single driver of the headline number is supply constraint at 9.2/10. Cost burden runs 39% against 29.3% citywide, putting River North 9.3% over its own city.

Severe burden reaches 22%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. On the high side is tenant-organizing strength at 8/10.

Running cool is economic stress, at 2.1/10. Disability prevalence reaches 16.7% against a 31.5% national average, which raises the odds a reasonable-accommodation request accompanies any dispute. Filings are well documented here: 1,014 across 2 observed tracts.

The worst year on record was 2008, when filings touched 12.6% of renter households. SNAP participation is 6.9% of households versus 15.2% nationally. The most recent observed rate, 2.8% in 2015, is well off that peak.

Among the 187 mapped neighborhoods of Chicago, it ranks #138 by risk, the lower third.

The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.

Risk score
5.9
Moderate
2 tracts · population-weighted
River North vs Chicago How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
% of income on rent
38.6% +32%
Chicago: 29.3%
Average gross rent
$2,711 +88%
Chicago: $1,440
Average HH income
$128,901 +72%
Chicago: $75,134
Poverty rate
8.4% -50%
Chicago: 16.8%
Renter share
62.9% +17%
Chicago: 54.0%
Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across River North and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 2 tracts span score 5.3–6.1

Why River North scores 5.9

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly
State political climate
legislature & governorship · Range 5.2–5.2 across tracts
5.2
Regional political climate
County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 7.5–7.5 across tracts
7.5
Local political climate
Parent city governance · Range 8.5–8.5 across tracts
8.5
Rent control risk
39% of income on rent · Range 5.5–5.5 across tracts
5.5
Eviction process difficulty
State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 7.5–7.5 across tracts
7.5
Tenant organizing strength
63% renter households · Range 8.0–8.0 across tracts
8.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition · Range 6.5–6.5 across tracts
6.5
Economic stress
8.4% below poverty line · Range 1.0–2.4 across tracts
2.1
Supply constraint
Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 9.0–10.0 across tracts
9.2
Risk score comparison

River North vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

River North score vs. parent city, state, U.S.River North: 5.95.9River NorthNeighborhoodParent city: 6.76.7Parent cityhost cityState: 5.15.1Stateavg in stateU.S.: 5.15.1U.S.national avgU.S. avg = 5.0
Census tracts

2 tracts in River North

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

Tract Score Pop % over 30% on rent Average rent
17031842200 6.1 3,602 43% $2,467
17031081900 5.3 1,111 25% $3,501
Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 24

Pop-weighted across 2 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 14%ile
Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden
Household characteristics 5%ile
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority 47%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport 78%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in River North

Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

  • 1,014Total filings (sum)
  • 5.74%Avg annual filing rate
  • 12.6%Peak year (2008)
  • 2.86%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in River North

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

Frequently asked

About River North

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for River North?

River North scores 5.9/10 (Moderate tier) across 2 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 River North compare to Chicago overall?

River North scores 0.8 points lower than Chicago overall (6.7/10). Renters spend 39% of income on rent vs 29% citywide. Average rent: $2,711 vs $1,440.
Q3

What is the average rent in River North?

Average gross rent in River North is $2,711/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 39% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4

What percentage of River North residents are renters?

63% of River North households are renter-occupied (vs 54% in Chicago). The neighborhood has 4,713 residents.
Q5

Is River North a high social-vulnerability area?

River North sits in the 24th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6

Which tracts in River North have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in River North is census tract 17031842200 (score 6.1/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.3 to 6.1, a spread of 0.8 points.
Q7

How safe is River North for landlords?

River North carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.9/10). Pop-weighted across 2 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 lower-risk.
Q8

What is the demographic breakdown of River North?

River North has 4,913 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (65.4%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (14.1%), Black (non-Hispanic) (7.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
Nearby

Other neighborhoods near River North

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Chicago

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to River North.

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