Neighborhood · Belmont, MA

Cushing Square Eviction Risk: Lower

6 census tracts · pop 19,150 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 1.7/10 · range 1.1–2.5

Cushing Square is a white (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Belmont with 6 census tracts and a population of 19,150 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 1.7/10 (Lower tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 40% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 18% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $2,473/month sits 2% lower than the Belmont citywide average ($2,527).

Risk score

1.7

Lower

6 tracts · population-weighted

Cushing Square vs Belmont How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

40.2% +47%

Belmont: 27.4%

Average gross rent

$2,473 -2%

Belmont: $2,527

Average HH income

$160,335 -10%

Belmont: $178,188

Poverty rate

4.1% +19%

Belmont: 3.5%

Renter share

39.7% +13%

Belmont: 35.3%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Cushing Square and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 6 tracts span score 1.1–2.5

Why Cushing Square scores 1.7

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

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 6.2–6.2 across tracts

6.2

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 7.3–7.3 across tracts

7.3

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 6.2–8.3 across tracts

7.1

Rent control risk

40% of income on rent · Range 4.2–6.2 across tracts

5.4

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 5.0–5.8 across tracts

5.3

Tenant organizing strength

40% renter households · Range 4.0–7.5 across tracts

5.5

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 3.4–5.0 across tracts

4.3

Economic stress

4.1% below poverty line · Range 1.0–2.7 across tracts

1.4

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 2.9–4.7 across tracts

3.7

Risk score comparison

Cushing Square vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Cushing Square?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 1.4 points from 1.1 to 2.5. Moderate variation across constituent tracts.

Tracts as heat grid

2.5 1.9 1.7 1.3 1.1 1.1

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

Census tracts

6 tracts in Cushing Square

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
25017370401	2.5	3,527	45%	$2,231
25017370202	1.9	3,302	52%	$2,318
25017370201	1.7	4,278	45%	$2,664
25017357500	1.3	2,370	45%	$2,752
25017357200	1.1	3,270	23%	$2,264
25017357400	1.1	2,403	28%	$2,707

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 21

Pop-weighted across 6 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 15%ile

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

Household characteristics 35%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 41%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 33%ile

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

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Cushing Square

Aggregated across 5 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

60Total filings (sum)
0.66%Avg annual filing rate
1.8%Peak year (2014)
0.48%Latest filed (2016)

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Cushing Square

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

6.4%Housing insecurity
4.0%Utility shutoff threat
6.1%Food insecurity
6.6%SNAP enrollment
2.7%No health insurance
20.3%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Cushing Square

What is the eviction-risk score for Cushing Square?

Cushing Square scores 1.7/10 (Lower tier) across 6 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 Cushing Square compare to Belmont overall?

Cushing Square scores 4.2 points lower than Belmont overall (5.9/10). Renters spend 40% of income on rent vs 27% citywide. Average rent: $2,473 vs $2,527.

What is the average rent in Cushing Square?

Average gross rent in Cushing Square is $2,473/month (pop-weighted across 6 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 40% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Cushing Square residents are renters?

40% of Cushing Square households are renter-occupied (vs 35% in Belmont). The neighborhood has 19,150 residents.

Is Cushing Square a high social-vulnerability area?

Cushing Square sits in the 21st percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.

Which tracts in Cushing Square have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Cushing Square is census tract 25017370401 (score 2.5/10). Across the 6 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 1.1 to 2.5, a spread of 1.4 points.

How safe is Cushing Square for landlords?

Cushing Square carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (1.7/10). Pop-weighted across 6 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Belmont as a whole (5.9/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.

What is the demographic breakdown of Cushing Square?

Cushing Square has 19,408 residents (White (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (72.2%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (13.7%), Other / Multiracial (6.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Cushing Square

1.6 Mount Auburn 2 tracts · pop 7,676 1.6 Oak Square 3 tracts · pop 12,845 4.6 Huron Village 3 tracts · pop 7,905 1.3 Kensington Park Historic District 3 tracts · pop 12,235 2.6 East Arlington 2 tracts · pop 6,560 4 West Somerville 6 tracts · pop 21,934

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Belmont

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Cushing Square.

1.7 Mount Auburn 2 tracts · pop 7,676 1.6 Waverley Square 1 tracts · pop 3,945 1.2 Waverley 1 tracts · pop 2,824 1.1 Pierce Farm Historic District 1 tracts · pop 3,791

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