Neighborhood · Indianapolis, IN

Watson Park Eviction Risk: Moderate

4 census tracts · pop 9,578 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.5/10 · range 3.3–5.5

Watson Park is a black-white neighborhood in Indianapolis with 4 census tracts and a population of 9,578 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 4.5/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 41% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 25% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $1,091/month sits 6% lower than the Indianapolis citywide average ($1,156).

Risk score

4.5

Moderate

4 tracts · population-weighted

Watson Park vs Indianapolis How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

40.5% +33%

Indianapolis: 30.4%

Average gross rent

$1,091 -6%

Indianapolis: $1,156

Average HH income

$66,440 +5%

Indianapolis: $62,995

Poverty rate

21.6% +38%

Indianapolis: 15.7%

Renter share

41.2% -6%

Indianapolis: 44.0%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Watson Park and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 4 tracts span score 3.3–5.5

Why Watson Park scores 4.5

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 2.0–2.0 across tracts

2.0

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 6.5–6.5 across tracts

6.5

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 6.8–6.8 across tracts

6.8

Rent control risk

41% of income on rent · Range 6.6–6.6 across tracts

6.6

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 2.1–2.1 across tracts

2.1

Tenant organizing strength

41% renter households · Range 8.7–8.7 across tracts

8.7

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 6.8–6.8 across tracts

6.8

Economic stress

21.6% below poverty line · Range 3.6–7.9 across tracts

5.4

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 2.5–4.6 across tracts

3.5

Risk score comparison

Watson Park vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Watson Park?

Left: distribution of constituent tract scores. Right: every tract as a heat square. Click any square to drill in.

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 2.2 points from 3.3 to 5.5. This neighborhood crosses multiple risk tiers, so block-by-block conditions vary substantially.

Tracts as heat grid

5.5 4.8 4.7 3.3

Each square = one census tract. Color tracks the same green→red ramp as the chloropleth map above.

Census tracts

4 tracts in Watson Park

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
18097350500	5.5	2,384	55%	$961
18097322500	4.8	1,626	53%	$1,019
18097350400	4.7	2,486	43%	$1,080
18097322100	3.3	3,082	21%	$1,238

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 60

Pop-weighted across 4 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 63%ile

Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden

Household characteristics 59%ile

Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+

Racial/ethnic minority 76%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 44%ile

Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Watson Park

Aggregated across 0 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

1,343Total filings 2020-21
4.2Avg monthly observed
7.8Pre-pandemic baseline
0.60×Ratio to baseline

Pandemic filings ran far below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Indianapolis, IN).

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Watson Park

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

17.9%Housing insecurity
15.1%Utility shutoff threat
23.3%Food insecurity
17.0%SNAP enrollment
10.0%No health insurance
31.6%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Watson Park

What is the eviction-risk score for Watson Park?

Watson Park scores 4.5/10 (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.

How does Watson Park compare to Indianapolis overall?

Watson Park scores 1.8 points higher than Indianapolis overall (2.7/10). Renters spend 41% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,091 vs $1,156.

What is the average rent in Watson Park?

Average gross rent in Watson Park is $1,091/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 41% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Watson Park residents are renters?

41% of Watson Park households are renter-occupied (vs 44% in Indianapolis). The neighborhood has 9,578 residents.

Is Watson Park a high social-vulnerability area?

Watson Park sits in the 60th 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.

Which tracts in Watson Park have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Watson Park is census tract 18097350500 (score 5.5/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.3 to 5.5, a spread of 2.2 points.

How safe is Watson Park for landlords?

Watson Park carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.5/10). 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 Indianapolis as a whole (2.7/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.

What is the demographic breakdown of Watson Park?

Watson Park has 9,163 residents (Black-White Neighborhood). Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (42.4%), White (non-Hispanic) (38.8%), Other / Multiracial (9.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Watson Park

4.3 North Meridian Street Historic District 2 tracts · pop 5,014 4.7 Friends and Neighbors 3 tracts · pop 6,936 4.9 Meridian Park 2 tracts · pop 4,145 3.3 Canterbury-Chatard 2 tracts · pop 7,017 2.4 Meridian Kessler 2 tracts · pop 5,588 5.2 North Brookside 2 tracts · pop 5,382

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Indianapolis

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Watson Park.

4.5 Mapleton 1 tracts · pop 3,362 4.5 Clifton 2 tracts · pop 4,468 4.6 Far Eastside 7 tracts · pop 29,586 4.4 Spades Park 2 tracts · pop 4,061 4.4 North Meridian Street Historic District 2 tracts · pop 5,014 4.6 International Marketplace 5 tracts · pop 28,794

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