Neighborhood · Boston, MA

Dorchester Heights Eviction Risk: Moderate

14 census tracts · pop 34,277 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.7/10 · range 3.8–7.7

Dorchester Heights is a white (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Boston with 14 census tracts and a population of 34,277 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 4.7/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 30% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 14% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $2,605/month sits 21% higher than the Boston citywide average ($2,147).

Risk score

4.7

Moderate

14 tracts · population-weighted

Dorchester Heights vs Boston How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

29.8% -3%

Boston: 30.6%

Average gross rent

$2,605 +21%

Boston: $2,147

Average HH income

$146,262 +54%

Boston: $94,755

Poverty rate

12.4% -26%

Boston: 16.9%

Renter share

57.9% -10%

Boston: 64.3%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Dorchester Heights and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 14 tracts span score 3.8–7.7

Why Dorchester Heights scores 4.7

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 8.2–8.2 across tracts

8.2

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 8.5–8.5 across tracts

8.5

Rent control risk

30% of income on rent · Range 8.0–8.0 across tracts

8.0

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 8.0–8.0 across tracts

8.0

Tenant organizing strength

58% renter households · Range 8.5–8.5 across tracts

8.5

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 8.0–8.0 across tracts

8.0

Economic stress

12.4% below poverty line · Range 1.0–10.0 across tracts

3.0

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.0–7.0 across tracts

4.7

Risk score comparison

Dorchester Heights vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Dorchester Heights?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 3.9 points from 3.8 to 7.7. This neighborhood crosses multiple risk tiers, so block-by-block conditions vary substantially.

Tracts as heat grid

7.7 7.6 6.3 5.6 5.6 5.5 4.9 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.8

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

Census tracts

14 tracts in Dorchester Heights

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
25025061101	7.7	2,295	51%	$834
25025060700	7.6	1,908	51%	$777
25025061000	6.3	2,860	38%	$1,154
25025061202	5.6	—	—	—
25025981201	5.6	—	—	—
25025061201	5.5	1,609	33%	$2,865
25025060602	4.9	416	53%	$3,410
25025060301	4.3	3,786	17%	$2,951
25025060200	4.2	2,282	31%	$3,385
25025060800	4.1	4,328	42%	$3,040
25025060601	4.1	1,830	14%	$3,141
25025060400	3.9	5,071	17%	$3,101
25025060501	3.9	4,305	22%	$2,981
25025060101	3.8	3,587	27%	$2,846

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 21

Pop-weighted across 14 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 20%ile

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

Household characteristics 17%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 31%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 60%ile

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

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Dorchester Heights

Aggregated across 9 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

694Total filings (sum)
1.33%Avg annual filing rate
5.5%Peak year (2016)
1.13%Latest filed (2016)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

208Total filings 2020-21
0.4Avg monthly observed
1.1Pre-pandemic baseline
0.38×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 Heights

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

11.1%Housing insecurity
7.4%Utility shutoff threat
12.0%Food insecurity
13.7%SNAP enrollment
4.6%No health insurance
20.5%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Dorchester Heights

What is the eviction-risk score for Dorchester Heights?

Dorchester Heights scores 4.7/10 (Moderate tier) across 14 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 Dorchester Heights compare to Boston overall?

Dorchester Heights scores 2.4 points lower than Boston overall (7.1/10). Renters spend 30% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $2,605 vs $2,147.

What is the average rent in Dorchester Heights?

Average gross rent in Dorchester Heights is $2,605/month (pop-weighted across 14 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 30% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Dorchester Heights residents are renters?

58% of Dorchester Heights households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Boston). The neighborhood has 34,277 residents.

Is Dorchester Heights a high social-vulnerability area?

Dorchester Heights 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 Dorchester Heights have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Dorchester Heights is census tract 25025061101 (score 7.7/10). Across the 14 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.8 to 7.7, a spread of 3.9 points.

How safe is Dorchester Heights for landlords?

Dorchester Heights carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.7/10). Pop-weighted across 14 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 (7.1/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.

What is the demographic breakdown of Dorchester Heights?

Dorchester Heights has 34,520 residents (White (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (77.5%), Hispanic / Latino (10.3%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (6.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Dorchester Heights

5.5 Church Green 6 tracts · pop 13,802 4.4 Waterfront 4 tracts · pop 9,620 6.7 Uphams Corner 4 tracts · pop 11,964 6.2 Frederick Douglass Square Historic District 19 tracts · pop 58,859 5.6 Savin Hill 3 tracts · pop 10,518 5 Jeffries Point 2 tracts · pop 3,273

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Boston

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Dorchester Heights.

4.7 Jeffries Point 2 tracts · pop 3,273 4.7 Oak Square 3 tracts · pop 10,325 4.8 Government Center/Faneuil Hall 1 tracts · pop 2,377 4.8 Milton Upper Mills 1 tracts · pop 6,346 4.6 Mount Hope 5 tracts · pop 17,652 4.6 Bulfinch Triangle 9 tracts · pop 21,559

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