9 census tracts · pop 20,283 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 7.6/10
· range 6.7–9.5
Downtown Crossing spans 9 census tracts of Boston, MA and houses 20,283 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 7.6/10, placing it in the Elevated tier. Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 6.7 to 9.5, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk.
What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 8.5/10. On the high side is rent-regulation exposure at 8/10.
The severe-burden share is 16%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. Running hot is eviction-process difficulty at 8/10.
Filings are well documented here: 131 across 4 observed tracts. The poverty rate is 18%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest. 35% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, ahead of the Boston rate of 30.6%.
3.7% of adults carry no health insurance against 11.3% nationally, a common route into sudden unpayable debt. The worst year on record was 2013, when filings touched 5.6% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 0.7% in 2016, is well off that peak.
Among the 57 mapped neighborhoods of Boston, it ranks #38 by risk, the lower third.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 7.6 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
7.6
Elevated
9 tracts · population-weighted
Downtown Crossing vs BostonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority40%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport76%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Downtown Crossing
Aggregated across 4 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
131Total filings (sum)
0.73%Avg annual filing rate
5.6%Peak year (2013)
0.45%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
150Total filings 2020-21
0.4Avg monthly observed
0.5Pre-pandemic baseline
0.95×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Boston, MA).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Downtown Crossing
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
8.8%Housing insecurity
5.8%Utility shutoff threat
10.5%Food insecurity
11.4%SNAP enrollment
3.7%No health insurance
22.2%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Downtown Crossing
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downtown Crossing?
Downtown Crossing scores 7.6/10 (Elevated tier) across 9 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 Downtown Crossing compare to Boston overall?
Downtown Crossing scores 0.5 points lower than Boston overall (8.1/10). Renters spend 35% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $2,205 vs $2,147.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downtown Crossing?
Average gross rent in Downtown Crossing is $2,205/month (pop-weighted across 9 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 35% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downtown Crossing residents are renters?
61% of Downtown Crossing households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Boston). The neighborhood has 20,283 residents.
Q5
Is Downtown Crossing a high social-vulnerability area?
Downtown Crossing sits in the 33rd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (less 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 Downtown Crossing have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Downtown Crossing is census tract 25025070201 (score 9.5/10). Across the 9 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 6.7 to 9.5, a spread of 2.8 points.
Q7
How safe is Downtown Crossing for landlords?
Downtown Crossing carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (7.6/10). Pop-weighted across 9 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 lower-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Downtown Crossing?
Downtown Crossing has 20,746 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (71.8%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (13.6%), Hispanic / Latino (8.4%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
