Neighborhood · Ranked #14,316 of 84,120 nationally

University Park Eviction Risk: Moderate , Gary

Tract 18089012300 · Lake County, IN · pop 2,431 · neighborhood within 0.8 mi

Census tract 18089012300 sits in the University Park area of Gary eviction risk, Indiana eviction laws, and carries an eviction-risk score of 6.4/10. That is riskier than about 85% of US census tracts.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 55% of renter households, a severe level, and 26% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $1,171 a month while the average household earns $39,776 a year, roughly 35% of income at the averages. About 57% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

5.8

Moderate

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 31% Stable renters 26% Owners 43%

Tract context

Occupied units958

Renter share57.2%

SVI overall0.83

Poverty rate31.9%

Median income$39,776

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Gary and the region

Centroid at 41.5585, -87.3227 · click any tract to drill in

Why University Park scores 5.8

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Gary

6.2

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.8

State political climate

Indiana legislature & governorship

2.0

Economic stress

31.9% poverty · this tract

8.0

Supply constraint

$1,171 rent vs county FMR

4.8

Rent control risk

Inherited from Gary

8.2

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

2.3

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Gary

9.3

Housing court bias

Inherited from Gary

8.7

How University Park compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 83

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

92%Socioeconomic
92%Household composition
86%Racial/ethnic minority
26%Housing & transportation

Historical context · 1930s redlining

HOLC grade: C: Definitely Declining

This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade C meant mixed-race / working-class neighborhoods rated as risky. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.

0%Grade A
3%Grade B
34%Grade C
0%Grade D · redlined

Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), 1935-1940 HOLC residential security maps, aggregated to 2020 census tracts by area share. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within University Park. 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.

29.4%Housing insecurity
26.2%Utility-shutoff threat
43.4%Food insecurity
36.2%SNAP enrollment
20.4%Transit barriers
13.7%No health insurance
21.1%Frequent mental distress
42.5%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in University Park

What moves this score most is tenant organizing strength at 9.3/10. 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 Gary eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Lake County average of 5.2 and above the Indiana statewide average of 4.7. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

The tract is Black and Hispanic or Latino and ranks around the 83rd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. High vulnerability tends to track with higher eviction-filing rates when rents climb.

HOLC surveyors mapped this tract in the 1930s with a dominant grade of C ("Declining"), above the redlined D tier. The grading still shaped decades of lending and development in the surrounding area.

For a landlord, this is a tract where process discipline pays off. Clean paperwork and steady screening keep the elevated risk manageable.

Frequently asked

About tract 18089012300

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089012300?

Census tract 18089012300 in the University Park neighborhood scores 5.8/10 (Moderate 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 18089012300?

Median gross rent is $1,171/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 55% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 18089012300?

31.9% of residents in tract 18089012300 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,431.

How socially vulnerable is tract 18089012300?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 83th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 92th, household 92th, minority 86th, housing 26th.

Is tract 18089012300 considered part of University Park?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 18089012300 fall within University Park (neighborhood centroid within 0.8 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 18089012300 struggle to pay rent?

About 29.4% 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. 26.2% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 18089012300 compare to Gary overall?

Tract 18089012300 scores 5.8/10, higher than the parent city of Gary at 3.1/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Gary eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 18089012300 historically redlined?

Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of C. 0% of the tract's area was rated D ("Hazardous"), the redlined tier. HOLC redlining systematically denied mortgage credit to Black, immigrant, and working-class neighborhoods and remains a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings, rent burden, and homeownership gaps. Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), Robert K. Nelson et al.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Gary

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