3 census tracts · pop 13,103 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.7/10
· range 4.8–6.3
Colonia is a 3-tract suburb of Rahway, NJ, population 13,103. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 5.7/10, in the Moderate tier. The main counterweight is economic stress, at 1.3/10.
The severe-burden share is 20%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. The 3 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 4.8 to 6.3, a 1.5-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. Running hot is tenant-organizing strength at 7.5/10.
Court records carry 289 eviction filings across its 3 observed tracts. Average gross rent is $2,112, 14% above the Rahway average of $1,845.
30% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, marginally below the Rahway rate of 34.2%. SNAP participation is 6.6% of households versus 15.2% nationally. Filing activity peaked in 2018 at 14.5% of renter households.
Judgments average 0.2% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order. Only 25% of units are renter-occupied. Rental comparables are thin here; price renewals off the nearest genuine rental sub-market rather than off surrounding sale prices. Poverty sits at 5%, low enough that arrears here usually reflect a specific shock rather than a structural income gap.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.5 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
5.7
Moderate
3 tracts · population-weighted
Colonia vs RahwayHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority57%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport22%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Colonia
Aggregated across 3 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
289Total filings (sum)
8.64%Avg annual filing rate
14.5%Peak year (2018)
9.87%Latest filed (2018)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Colonia
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
11.7%Housing insecurity
6.5%Utility shutoff threat
12.5%Food insecurity
7.0%SNAP enrollment
10.8%No health insurance
22.8%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Colonia
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Colonia?
Colonia scores 5.7/10 (Moderate tier) across 3 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 Colonia compare to Rahway overall?
Colonia scores 0.9 points lower than Rahway overall (6.6/10). Renters spend 30% of income on rent vs 34% citywide. Average rent: $2,112 vs $1,845.
Q3
What is the average rent in Colonia?
Average gross rent in Colonia is $2,112/month (pop-weighted across 3 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 30% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Colonia residents are renters?
25% of Colonia households are renter-occupied (vs 48% in Rahway). The neighborhood has 13,103 residents.
Q5
Is Colonia a high social-vulnerability area?
Colonia sits in the 39th 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 Colonia have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Colonia is census tract 34039035700 (score 6.3/10). Across the 3 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.8 to 6.3, a spread of 1.5 points.
Q7
How safe is Colonia for landlords?
Colonia carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.7/10). Pop-weighted across 3 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Rahway as a whole (6.6/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Colonia?
Colonia has 12,806 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (50%), Hispanic / Latino (22.9%), Black (non-Hispanic) (15.3%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
