2 census tracts · pop 8,473 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.2/10
· range 3–5.6
Salem takes in 2 census tracts of Columbus, OH and houses 8,473 people. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 4.2/10, in the Moderate tier. Scores across the 2 constituent tracts range from 3 to 5.6. A 2.6-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here.
Pulling the other way is rent-regulation exposure, at 1.5/10. 19% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
Against a Columbus baseline of 28.8%, 36% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line. Running cool is supply constraint, at 2.4/10.
At $1,071 a month, rents sit 17% under what the rest of Columbus commands. Court records carry 3,006 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts.
The worst year on record was 2013, when filings touched 32.9% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 20.9% in 2015 against a 32.9% peak.
Among the 120 mapped neighborhoods of Columbus, it ranks #81 by risk, the lower third. The closest comparables inside the same city are Southern Orchards and Berwick. Social vulnerability runs high at 7.7/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
Against average income of $82,083, annual rent is only 16%, a wide affordability cushion. 38% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 4.2 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.2
Moderate
2 tracts · population-weighted
Salem vs ColumbusHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority68%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport53%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.
16.2%Housing insecurity
11.8%Utility shutoff threat
20.8%Food insecurity
17.3%SNAP enrollment
10.9%No health insurance
30.2%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Salem
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Salem?
Salem scores 4.2/10 (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 0.1 points lower than Columbus overall (4.3/10). 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 5.6/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 5.6, a spread of 2.6 points.
Q7
How safe is Salem for landlords?
Salem carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.2/10). 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 (4.3/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Salem?
Salem has 8,279 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (46.7%), Black (non-Hispanic) (26.2%), Hispanic / Latino (13.3%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
