2 census tracts · pop 10,306 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8.3/10
· range 8.2–8.4
The Flats spans 2 census tracts of Boston, MA, population 10,306. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 8.3/10, High tier. Cost burden runs 53% against 30.6% citywide, putting The Flats 22.5% over its own city.
28% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate. What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 8.5/10.
72% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over. Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 8/10.
On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 8/10. The poverty rate is 19%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Court records carry 299 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts.
CDC survey data puts housing insecurity at 21.9% of adults, against 14.2% nationally. SNAP participation is 25.2% of households versus 15.2% nationally. Filing activity peaked in 2014 at 4.0% of renter households.
The most recent observed rate, 2.2% in 2016, is well off that peak. Among the 57 mapped neighborhoods of Boston, it ranks #21 by risk, the middle third.
Social vulnerability runs high at 8.4/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
8.3
High
2 tracts · population-weighted
The Flats vs BostonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority82%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport69%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in The Flats
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
299Total filings (sum)
2.21%Avg annual filing rate
4.0%Peak year (2014)
2.22%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
131Total filings 2020-21
1.4Avg monthly observed
2.6Pre-pandemic baseline
0.57×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 The Flats
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
21.9%Housing insecurity
12.7%Utility shutoff threat
24.5%Food insecurity
25.2%SNAP enrollment
13.4%No health insurance
28.6%Any disability
Frequently asked
About The Flats
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for The Flats?
The Flats scores 8.3/10 (High tier) across 2 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 The Flats compare to Boston overall?
The Flats scores 0.2 points higher than Boston overall (8.1/10). Renters spend 53% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $2,079 vs $2,147.
Q3
What is the average rent in The Flats?
Average gross rent in The Flats is $2,079/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of The Flats residents are renters?
72% of The Flats households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Boston). The neighborhood has 10,306 residents.
Q5
Is The Flats a high social-vulnerability area?
The Flats sits in the 83rd 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 The Flats have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in The Flats is census tract 25025050700 (score 8.4/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 8.2 to 8.4, a spread of 0.2 points.
Q7
How safe is The Flats for landlords?
The Flats carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8.3/10). Pop-weighted across 2 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 in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of The Flats?
The Flats has 10,335 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (62.2%), White (non-Hispanic) (26.4%), Other / Multiracial (7.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
