6 census tracts · pop 31,403 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 9/10
· range 7.1–9.5
Dorchester Center spans 6 census tracts of Boston, MA and houses 31,403 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 9/10, placing it in the High tier. Against a Boston baseline of 30.6%, 53% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
The severe-burden share is 30%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. SNAP participation is 37.4% of households versus 15.2% nationally. Pulling the other way is supply constraint, at 1.2/10.
Scores across the 6 constituent tracts range from 7.1 to 9.5. A 2.4-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here. Running hot is tenant-organizing strength at 8.5/10.
This is a renter market: 66% of occupied units are tenant-occupied. At $1,583 a month, rents sit 26% under what the rest of Boston commands. 18.9% of adults report being unable to pay a utility bill, against a 9.2% national figure. Utility arrears usually lead rent arrears by a month or two.
Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 8/10. The poverty rate is 20%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Filings are well documented here: 2,203 across 6 observed tracts.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 9 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
9
High
6 tracts · population-weighted
Dorchester Center vs BostonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority93%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport73%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Dorchester Center
Aggregated across 6 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
2,203Total filings (sum)
6.74%Avg annual filing rate
9.4%Peak year (2016)
7.12%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
825Total filings 2020-21
3.3Avg monthly observed
7.6Pre-pandemic baseline
0.45×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran far below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Boston, MA).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Dorchester Center
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
27.6%Housing insecurity
19.2%Utility shutoff threat
31.9%Food insecurity
38.2%SNAP enrollment
9.4%No health insurance
33.6%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Dorchester Center
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Dorchester Center?
Dorchester Center scores 9/10 (High 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.
Q2
How does Dorchester Center compare to Boston overall?
Dorchester Center scores 0.9 points higher than Boston overall (8.1/10). Renters spend 53% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,583 vs $2,147.
Q3
What is the average rent in Dorchester Center?
Average gross rent in Dorchester Center is $1,583/month (pop-weighted across 6 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Dorchester Center residents are renters?
66% of Dorchester Center households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Boston). The neighborhood has 31,403 residents.
Q5
Is Dorchester Center a high social-vulnerability area?
Dorchester Center sits in the 88th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (highly 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 Dorchester Center have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Dorchester Center is census tract 25025100100 (score 9.5/10). Across the 6 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 7.1 to 9.5, a spread of 2.4 points.
Q7
How safe is Dorchester Center for landlords?
Dorchester Center carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (9/10). 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 Boston as a whole (8.1/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Dorchester Center?
Dorchester Center has 30,713 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (52.8%), Hispanic / Latino (21.6%), Other / Multiracial (9.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
