Within parent city
78
th percentile
High
Census Tract · Ranked #39,389 of 84,120 nationally
Merrillville Eviction Risk: Moderate
Tract 18089042403 · Lake County, IN · pop 4,267
Census tract 18089042403 runs through Merrillville. With 4,267 residents, it scores 5.5/10 for landlords. On the national scale it ranks #35,841 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.
Rent eats 30% or more of income for 58% of renter households, a severe level, and 37% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $1,118 a month while the average household earns $53,710 a year, roughly 25% of income at the averages. Renters make up 28% of occupied homes.
Risk score
4.1
Moderate
Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 16%
Stable renters 11%
Owners 73%
Tract context
Occupied units1,574
Renter share27.5%
SVI overall0.93
Poverty rate15.3%
Median income$53,710
Percentile rank
Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.Within county
50
th percentile
Moderate
Within state
67
th percentile
Elevated
National
53
th percentile
Moderate
Geographic context
Risk heat across Merrillville and the region
Centroid at 41.5113, -87.3314 · click any tract to drill in
Why Merrillville scores 4.1
9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendlyLocal political climate
Inherited from Merrillville
6.2
Regional political climate
2024 county presidential margin
5.8
State political climate
Indiana legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
15.3% poverty · this tract
3.8
Supply constraint
$1,118 rent vs county FMR
4.3
Rent control risk
Inherited from Merrillville
7.6
Eviction process difficulty
State law sets the calendar
1.9
Tenant organizing strength
Inherited from Merrillville
6.8
Housing court bias
Inherited from Merrillville
7.0
How Merrillville compares
Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.CDC Social Vulnerability Index
SVI percentile: 93
CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.
- 83%Socioeconomic
- 80%Household composition
- 87%Racial/ethnic minority
- 94%Housing & transportation
Comparable tracts
Census tracts with similar eviction risk
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.
- 21.5%Housing insecurity
- 18.0%Utility-shutoff threat
- 29.6%Food insecurity
- 21.0%SNAP enrollment
- 13.8%Transit barriers
- 10.3%No health insurance
- 18.8%Frequent mental distress
- 34.5%Any disability
Analysis
What drives eviction risk in Merrillville
The heaviest input here is rent-control risk at 7.6/10. 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 Merrillville eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.
Set against its neighbors, this tract scores about the same as 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.
In CDC survey modeling, about 21.5% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 18.0% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.
The tract is predominantly Black and ranks around the 93rd 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.
For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.
Frequently asked
About tract 18089042403
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089042403?
Census tract 18089042403 in Merrillville scores 4.1/10 (Moderate tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2
What is the average rent in tract 18089042403?
Median gross rent is $1,118/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 58% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3
What is the poverty rate in tract 18089042403?
15.3% of residents in tract 18089042403 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,267.
Q4
How socially vulnerable is tract 18089042403?
CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 93th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 83th, household 80th, minority 87th, housing 94th.
Q5
What share of households in tract 18089042403 struggle to pay rent?
About 21.5% 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. 18.0% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.
Q6
How does tract 18089042403 compare to Merrillville overall?
Tract 18089042403 scores 4.1/10, higher than the parent city of Merrillville at 2.7/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Merrillville eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.
Sibling tracts
Highest-risk tracts in Merrillville
Top eight tracts in Merrillville ranked by composite eviction-risk score.
Tract · IN
Southmoor Park
4.6
/ 10 · Moderate
Tract · IN
Lincoln Village
4.5
/ 10 · Moderate
Tract · IN
Lincoln Village
3.8
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Southmoor Park
3.6
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Lottaville
3.5
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Lottaville
3.5
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Southmoor Park
3.4
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Chapel Manor
3.3
/ 10 · Low
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