Lakewood Eviction Risk: High

Against the Ocean County average of 5.0, this tract reads riskier for landlords by 4.2 points. The score leans hardest on economic stress at 10/10. 33% are severely burdened past the 50% mark. That cohort absorbs no shock: one repair bill or one cut shift converts straight into arrears.

The poverty rate is 48%, which in this model reads as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. On the high side, tenant-organizing strength reads 9.7/10.

92% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building nearby. Annualized rent equals 40% of average household income of $39,150, past the 30% affordability line, which thins the margin any screening standard has to work with. Running hot, rent-regulation exposure reads 9.4/10.

Average gross rent is $1,301, 24% below the Lakewood average. Inability to pay a utility bill runs 18.0% against 9.2% nationally. Utility arrears usually lead rent arrears by a month or two.

Housing insecurity runs 23.0% against 14.2% nationally. Nationally it ranks #3,529 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty. CDC social-vulnerability scoring puts the tract at 6.1/10.

All figures here are ACS 5-year estimates for this tract, refreshed as the underlying releases land.