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Neighborhood · Columbus, OH

Salem Eviction Risk: Moderate

2 census tracts · pop 8,473 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4/10 · range 3.1–5

Salem is a white-black neighborhood in Columbus with 2 census tracts and a population of 8,473 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 4/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 36% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 19% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $1,071/month sits 17% lower than the Columbus citywide average ($1,295).

Risk score
4
Moderate
2 tracts · population-weighted
Salem vs Columbus How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
% of income on rent
35.9% +25%
Columbus: 28.8%
Average gross rent
$1,071 -17%
Columbus: $1,295
Average HH income
$82,083 +26%
Columbus: $65,327
Poverty rate
12.8% -28%
Columbus: 17.9%
Renter share
38.3% -31%
Columbus: 55.9%
Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Salem and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 2 tracts span score 3.1–5

Why Salem scores 4

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly
State political climate
legislature & governorship · Range 2.4–2.4 across tracts
2.4
Regional political climate
County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 6.6–6.6 across tracts
6.6
Local political climate
Parent city governance · Range 6.5–6.5 across tracts
6.5
Rent control risk
36% of income on rent · Range 1.5–1.5 across tracts
1.5
Eviction process difficulty
State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 4.5–4.5 across tracts
4.5
Tenant organizing strength
38% renter households · Range 5.5–5.5 across tracts
5.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition · Range 4.0–4.0 across tracts
4.0
Economic stress
12.8% below poverty line · Range 1.7–5.1 across tracts
3.2
Supply constraint
Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 2.4–2.4 across tracts
2.4
Risk score comparison

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

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Salem score vs. parent city, state, U.S.Salem: 4.04.0SalemNeighborhoodParent city: 3.13.1Parent cityhost cityState: 2.82.8Stateavg in stateU.S.: 4.74.7U.S.national avgU.S. avg = 5.0
Census tracts

2 tracts in Salem

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

Tract Score Pop % over 30% on rent Average rent
39049006921 5 3,811 53% $1,064
39049006923 3.1 4,662 22% $1,076
Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 74

Pop-weighted across 2 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 73%ile
Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden
Household characteristics 85%ile
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority 68%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport 53%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Salem

Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

  • 3,006Total filings (sum)
  • 19.35%Avg annual filing rate
  • 32.9%Peak year (2013)
  • 20.28%Latest filed (2015)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

  • 1,494Total filings 2020-21
  • 9.2Avg monthly observed
  • 11.1Pre-pandemic baseline
  • 0.96×Ratio to baseline

Pandemic filings ran below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Columbus, OH).

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Salem

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

Frequently asked

About Salem

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for Salem?

Salem scores 4/10 (Moderate 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 Salem compare to Columbus overall?

Salem scores 0.9 points higher than Columbus overall (3.1/10). Renters spend 36% of income on rent vs 29% citywide. Average rent: $1,071 vs $1,295.
Q3

What is the average rent in Salem?

Average gross rent in Salem is $1,071/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 36% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4

What percentage of Salem residents are renters?

38% of Salem households are renter-occupied (vs 56% in Columbus). The neighborhood has 8,473 residents.
Q5

Is Salem a high social-vulnerability area?

Salem sits in the 74th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately 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 Salem have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Salem is census tract 39049006921 (score 5/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.1 to 5, a spread of 1.9 points.
Q7

How safe is Salem for landlords?

Salem carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4/10). 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 Columbus as a whole (3.1/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8

What is the demographic breakdown of Salem?

Salem has 8,279 residents (White-Black Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (46.7%), Black (non-Hispanic) (26.2%), Hispanic / Latino (13.3%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Salem

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Columbus

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Salem.

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