Neighborhood · Boston, MA

Waterfront Eviction Risk: Moderate

4 census tracts · pop 9,620 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.5/10 · range 3.9–5

Waterfront is a white (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Boston with 4 census tracts and a population of 9,620 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 4.5/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 42% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 15% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $2,729/month sits 27% higher than the Boston citywide average ($2,147).

Risk score

4.5

Moderate

4 tracts · population-weighted

Waterfront vs Boston How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

42.3% +38%

Boston: 30.6%

Average gross rent

$2,729 +27%

Boston: $2,147

Average HH income

$147,388 +56%

Boston: $94,755

Poverty rate

6.4% -62%

Boston: 16.9%

Renter share

63.9% -1%

Boston: 64.3%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Waterfront and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 4 tracts span score 3.9–5

Why Waterfront scores 4.5

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

42% 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

64% 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

6.4% below poverty line · Range 1.0–2.6 across tracts

1.8

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.3–7.3 across tracts

4.6

Risk score comparison

Waterfront vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Waterfront?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 1.1 points from 3.9 to 5. Moderate variation across constituent tracts.

Tracts as heat grid

5.0 4.3 4.3 3.9

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

Census tracts

4 tracts in Waterfront

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
25025040801	5	4,129	50%	$1,795
25025030301	4.3	1,478	30%	$3,239
25025060603	4.3	1,241	44%	$3,501
25025060604	3.9	2,772	37%	$3,501

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 36

Pop-weighted across 4 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 27%ile

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

Household characteristics 33%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 43%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 67%ile

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

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Waterfront

Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

221Total filings (sum)
2.87%Avg annual filing rate
3.1%Peak year (2013)
2.90%Latest filed (2016)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

191Total filings 2020-21
0.9Avg monthly observed
1.8Pre-pandemic baseline
2.50×Ratio to baseline

Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Boston, MA).

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Waterfront

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

7.9%Housing insecurity
5.0%Utility shutoff threat
7.9%Food insecurity
8.2%SNAP enrollment
3.3%No health insurance
18.4%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Waterfront

What is the eviction-risk score for Waterfront?

Waterfront scores 4.5/10 (Moderate tier) across 4 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 Waterfront compare to Boston overall?

Waterfront scores 2.6 points lower than Boston overall (7.1/10). Renters spend 42% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $2,729 vs $2,147.

What is the average rent in Waterfront?

Average gross rent in Waterfront is $2,729/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 42% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Waterfront residents are renters?

64% of Waterfront households are renter-occupied (vs 64% in Boston). The neighborhood has 9,620 residents.

Is Waterfront a high social-vulnerability area?

Waterfront sits in the 36th 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.

Which tracts in Waterfront have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Waterfront is census tract 25025040801 (score 5/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.9 to 5, a spread of 1.1 points.

How safe is Waterfront for landlords?

Waterfront carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.5/10). Pop-weighted across 4 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 Waterfront?

Waterfront has 10,178 residents (White (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (71.5%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (11.9%), Hispanic / Latino (8.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Waterfront

4.5 Dock Square 2 tracts · pop 6,077 5 Jeffries Point 2 tracts · pop 3,273 4.7 Bulfinch Triangle 9 tracts · pop 21,559 5.5 Gove Street 4 tracts · pop 10,305 5.5 Church Green 6 tracts · pop 13,802 5.2 Downtown Crossing 9 tracts · pop 20,283

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Boston

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Waterfront.

4.6 Bulfinch Triangle 9 tracts · pop 21,559 4.6 Dock Square 2 tracts · pop 6,077 4.6 Fairmount 2 tracts · pop 14,049 4.6 Mount Hope 5 tracts · pop 17,652 4.7 Dorchester Heights 14 tracts · pop 34,277 4.3 Buttonwood Village 1 tracts · pop 2,471

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