Census Tract · Ranked #24,519 of 84,120 nationally

Melrose Eviction Risk: Elevated

Tract 25017336402 · Middlesex County, MA · pop 5,433

Eviction risk in Melrose eviction risk in Middlesex County centers on tract 25017336402, which scores 5.2/10 (Moderate tier) and is home to 5,433 residents. On the national scale it ranks #45,506 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

About 53% of renters carry a rent burden of 30% of income or higher, a severe level, and 24% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,546 monthly, set against $101,797 in average yearly household income, roughly 18% of income at the averages. About 45% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Risk score

Elevated

Confidence 100% · 1-10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 24% Stable renters 21% Owners 55%

Tract context

Occupied units2,019

Renter share45.1%

SVI overall0.63

Poverty rate3.1%

Median income$101,797

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Melrose and the region

Centroid at 42.4547, -71.0727 · click any tract to drill in

Why Melrose scores 6

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Melrose

8.3

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

7.3

State political climate

Massachusetts legislature & governorship

6.2

Economic stress

3.1% poverty · this tract

1.0

Supply constraint

$1,546 rent vs county FMR

1.0

Rent control risk

Inherited from Melrose

6.0

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

5.9

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Melrose

6.9

Housing court bias

Inherited from Melrose

4.3

How Melrose compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 63

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

34%Socioeconomic
69%Household composition
49%Racial/ethnic minority
88%Housing & transportation

Historical context · 1930s redlining

HOLC grade: C: Definitely Declining

This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade C meant mixed-race / working-class neighborhoods rated as risky. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.

5%Grade A
10%Grade B
84%Grade C
0%Grade D · redlined

Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), 1935-1940 HOLC residential security maps, aggregated to 2020 census tracts by area share. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history

Court-validated eviction filings collected from county clerks and consolidated by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households.

Historic baseline (2000-2018)

104Total filings over 5 yrs
2.13%Avg annual filing rate
2.6%Peak (2013)
15Filings in 2016 (latest validated)

Filings by year 2012 to 2016

Filings dropped 25% over the past 5 months.

Pandemic-era tracking (2020-2021)

0Total filings 2020-21
0.0Avg monthly (observed)
0.0Pre-pandemic baseline
0.00×Ratio to baseline

Monthly filings 2020-2021 2020-01-01 to 2023-11-01

Pandemic filings ran far below baseline (moratorium effect). Eviction Lab tracked Boston, MA as part of its 34-metro Eviction Tracking System.

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.

8.4%Housing insecurity
5.1%Utility-shutoff threat
8.7%Food insecurity
10.0%SNAP enrollment
6.0%Transit barriers
3.7%No health insurance
14.8%Frequent mental distress
25.9%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Melrose

The score leans hardest on tenant organizing strength at 6.9/10. 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 Melrose 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 Middlesex County average of 5.2 and below the Massachusetts statewide average of 5.9. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 63rd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

Princeton's Eviction Lab logged 104 eviction filings here over 5 tracked years, with about 2.1% of renter households facing a filing in a typical year. Filings peaked at 2.6% of renter households in 2013.

For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 25017336402

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 25017336402?

Census tract 25017336402 in Melrose scores 6/10 (Elevated 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 25017336402?

Median gross rent is $1,546/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 25017336402?

3.1% of residents in tract 25017336402 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 5,433.

How socially vulnerable is tract 25017336402?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 63th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 34th, household 69th, minority 49th, housing 88th.

How many evictions are filed each year in tract 25017336402?

Princeton Eviction Lab recorded 104 eviction filings across 5 validated years in tract 25017336402 (2000-2018). The average annual filing rate is 2.13% of renter households, peaking at 2.6% in 2013. Source: Eviction Lab tract-validated 2024 release.

What share of households in tract 25017336402 struggle to pay rent?

About 8.4% 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. 5.1% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 25017336402 compare to Melrose overall?

Tract 25017336402 scores 6/10, higher than the parent city of Melrose at 5.4/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Melrose eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 25017336402 historically redlined?

Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of C. 0% of the tract's area was rated D ("Hazardous"), the redlined tier. HOLC redlining systematically denied mortgage credit to Black, immigrant, and working-class neighborhoods and remains a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings, rent burden, and homeownership gaps. Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), Robert K. Nelson et al.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Melrose

Top eight tracts in Melrose ranked by composite eviction-risk score.