Census Tract · Ranked #37,882 of 84,120 nationally

Merrillville Eviction Risk: Moderate

Tract 18089042403 · Lake County, IN · pop 4,267

18089042403 is a census tract in Merrillville, IN. It scores 4.7/10 for landlords. Population here is 4,267. 37% are severely burdened past the 50% mark. That cohort absorbs no shock: one repair bill or one cut shift converts straight into arrears.

Risk score

4.7

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.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Merrillville and the region

Centroid at 41.5113, -87.3314 · click any tract to drill in

Why Merrillville scores 4.7

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local 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

58% of renter households cross the 30%-of-income line, markedly above the Lake County average of 43.0%. The clearest offset is eviction-process difficulty at 1.9/10. Well under the midpoint, state political climate reads 2/10.

Food insecurity runs 29.6% against 17.8% nationally. Running hot, rent-regulation exposure reads 7.6/10. Housing insecurity runs 21.5% against 14.2% nationally.

At $1,118 a month, rents run 13% under what the rest of Merrillville commands. Nationally it ranks #37,882 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

Social vulnerability reads 9.3/10 on the CDC index, a measure of exposure to housing and economic shocks. Statewide the IN average is 3.9, so this tract runs 0.8 points hotter. Of its three components the housing type and transport measure is the most pressured.

All figures here are ACS 5-year estimates for this tract, refreshed as the underlying releases land.

Frequently asked

About tract 18089042403

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089042403?

Census tract 18089042403 in Merrillville scores 4.7/10 (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 18089042403?

Median gross rent is $1,118/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 58% of renter households are cost-burdened.

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.

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.

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.

How does tract 18089042403 compare to Merrillville overall?

Tract 18089042403 scores 4.7/10, higher than the parent city of Merrillville at 4/10. 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.