4 census tracts · pop 20,205 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.7/10
· range 4.8–6.7
Southtown takes in 4 census tracts of Oak Park, IL, population 20,205. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 5.7/10, in the Moderate tier. Cost burden runs 47% against 27.5% citywide, putting Southtown 19.0% over its own city.
Severe burden reaches 27%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 8.2/10.
The 4 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 4.8 to 6.7, a 1.9-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. On the softer side is supply constraint, at 2.1/10.
At $1,257 a month, rents sit 21% under what the rest of Oak Park commands. Running cool is economic stress, at 2.3/10. Filings are well documented here: 1,470 across 4 observed tracts.
Filing activity peaked in 2013 at 6.6% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 3.0% in 2015, is well off that peak.
Among the 4 mapped neighborhoods of Oak Park, it ranks #3 by risk, the lower third. Against average income of $102,984, annual rent is only 15%, a wide affordability cushion.
34% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.9 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
5.7
Moderate
4 tracts · population-weighted
Southtown vs Oak ParkHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority61%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport55%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Southtown
Aggregated across 4 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,470Total filings (sum)
3.33%Avg annual filing rate
6.6%Peak year (2013)
3.12%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Southtown
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
13.2%Housing insecurity
7.3%Utility shutoff threat
15.0%Food insecurity
11.9%SNAP enrollment
9.8%No health insurance
23.4%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Southtown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Southtown?
Southtown scores 5.7/10 (Moderate tier) across 4 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 Southtown compare to Oak Park overall?
Southtown scores 0.5 points lower than Oak Park overall (6.2/10). Renters spend 47% of income on rent vs 28% citywide. Average rent: $1,257 vs $1,593.
Q3
What is the average rent in Southtown?
Average gross rent in Southtown is $1,257/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 47% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Southtown residents are renters?
34% of Southtown households are renter-occupied (vs 40% in Oak Park). The neighborhood has 20,205 residents.
Q5
Is Southtown a high social-vulnerability area?
Southtown sits in the 52nd 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 Southtown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Southtown is census tract 17031816100 (score 6.7/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.8 to 6.7, a spread of 1.9 points.
Q7
How safe is Southtown for landlords?
Southtown carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.7/10). Pop-weighted across 4 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Oak Park as a whole (6.2/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Southtown?
Southtown has 20,074 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (52.1%), Hispanic / Latino (23.6%), Black (non-Hispanic) (14.4%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
