3 census tracts · pop 10,222 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.2/10
· range 3.6–6.4
Union Drive takes in 3 census tracts of Ames, IA, population 10,222. Scored across those inputs it reaches 6.2/10, placing it in the Elevated tier. 44% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
59% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, dramatically above the Ames rate of 30.1%. The poverty rate is 43%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 9.5/10. Sitting well above the midpoint is economic stress at 9.4/10. 84% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over.
Scores across the 3 constituent tracts range from 3.6 to 6.4. A 2.8-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here. Running hot is housing-court posture at 8/10. Court records carry 139 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts.
Filing activity peaked in 2006 at 16.7% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 3.4% in 2015, is well off that peak.
That places it #4 of 6 neighborhoods in Ames.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 2.8 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
6.2
Elevated
3 tracts · population-weighted
Union Drive vs AmesHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority46%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport62%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Union Drive
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
139Total filings (sum)
2.80%Avg annual filing rate
16.7%Peak year (2006)
2.16%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Union Drive
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
12.8%Housing insecurity
9.5%Utility shutoff threat
19.8%Food insecurity
16.7%SNAP enrollment
8.3%No health insurance
30.1%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Union Drive
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Union Drive?
Union Drive scores 6.2/10 (Elevated tier) across 3 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 Union Drive compare to Ames overall?
Union Drive scores 1.2 points higher than Ames overall (5/10). Renters spend 59% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $970 vs $1,023.
Q3
What is the average rent in Union Drive?
Average gross rent in Union Drive is $970/month (pop-weighted across 3 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 59% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Union Drive residents are renters?
84% of Union Drive households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Ames). The neighborhood has 10,222 residents.
Q5
Is Union Drive a high social-vulnerability area?
Union Drive sits in the 50th 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 Union Drive have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Union Drive is census tract 19169001304 (score 6.4/10). Across the 3 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.6 to 6.4, a spread of 2.8 points.
Q7
How safe is Union Drive for landlords?
Union Drive carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.2/10). Pop-weighted across 3 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Ames as a whole (5/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Union Drive?
Union Drive has 9,702 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (69.2%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (15.7%), Other / Multiracial (8.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
