2 census tracts · pop 5,822 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.8/10
· range 3.1–5.4
South Plaza is a 2-tract neighborhood of Kansas City, MO, population 5,822. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 3.8/10, Lower tier. Cost burden runs 43% against 30.0% citywide, putting South Plaza 13.1% over its own city.
Severe burden reaches 30%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. Average gross rent is $1,674, 35% above the Kansas City average of $1,238. The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1.5/10.
The 2 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 3.1 to 5.4, a 2.3-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. The voucher gap is 24.4%: households holding assistance that local rents will not absorb, which shows up as churn rather than arrears.
Running hot is supply constraint at 7.4/10. The poverty rate is 19%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
Court records for this tract carry 172 eviction filings. SNAP participation is 6.1% of households versus 15.2% nationally. Filing activity peaked in 2009 at 3.5% of renter households.
Food insecurity affects 9.6% of adults, 8.2 points below the national rate. The most recent observed rate, 0.4% in 2017, is well off that peak.
Among the 66 mapped neighborhoods of Kansas City, it ranks #47 by risk, the lower third.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 2.3 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
3.8
Lower
2 tracts · population-weighted
South Plaza vs Kansas CityHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority34%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport75%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in South Plaza
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
172Total filings (sum)
1.48%Avg annual filing rate
3.5%Peak year (2009)
0.39%Latest filed (2017)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
148Total filings 2020-21
0.8Avg monthly observed
0.8Pre-pandemic baseline
1.11×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran near baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Kansas City, MO).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in South Plaza
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
8.5%Housing insecurity
6.0%Utility shutoff threat
8.9%Food insecurity
5.4%SNAP enrollment
6.0%No health insurance
28.9%Any disability
Frequently asked
About South Plaza
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for South Plaza?
South Plaza scores 3.8/10 (Lower 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 South Plaza compare to Kansas City overall?
South Plaza scores 0.2 points lower than Kansas City overall (4/10). Renters spend 43% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,674 vs $1,238.
Q3
What is the average rent in South Plaza?
Average gross rent in South Plaza is $1,674/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 43% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of South Plaza residents are renters?
56% of South Plaza households are renter-occupied (vs 45% in Kansas City). The neighborhood has 5,822 residents.
Q5
Is South Plaza a high social-vulnerability area?
South Plaza sits in the 27th 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 South Plaza have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in South Plaza is census tract 29095007301 (score 5.4/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.1 to 5.4, a spread of 2.3 points.
Q7
How safe is South Plaza for landlords?
South Plaza carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.8/10). 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 Kansas City as a whole (4/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of South Plaza?
South Plaza has 5,759 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (79.2%), Other / Multiracial (6.5%), Hispanic / Latino (5.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
