8 census tracts · pop 21,843 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8/10
· range 6.5–9.1
Chinatown is a 8-tract neighborhood of Portland, OR and houses 21,843 people. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 8/10, High tier. Against a Portland baseline of 31.4%, 44% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 9/10. 81% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over.
Severe burden reaches 26%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 6.5 to 9.1, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk.
Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 8.5/10. Running hot is eviction-process difficulty at 8.5/10. The poverty rate is 23%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment.
The filing record is not thin: 511 evictions logged in this tract. Filing activity peaked in 2000 at 6.1% of renter households.
The most recent observed rate, 1.9% in 2016, is well off that peak. That places it #18 of 52 neighborhoods in Portland. The closest comparables inside the same city are Russell and Centennial.
Average gross rent runs $1,564, close to the Portland average.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 8 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
8
High
8 tracts · population-weighted
Chinatown vs PortlandHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority43%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport84%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Chinatown
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
511Total filings (sum)
3.67%Avg annual filing rate
6.1%Peak year (2000)
1.85%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
4,270Total filings 2020-21
7.1Avg monthly observed
3.9Pre-pandemic baseline
2.32×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Pittsburgh, PA).
Frequently asked
About Chinatown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Chinatown?
Chinatown scores 8/10 (High tier) across 8 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 Chinatown compare to Portland overall?
Chinatown scores 0.3 points higher than Portland overall (7.7/10). Renters spend 44% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,564 vs $1,655.
Q3
What is the average rent in Chinatown?
Average gross rent in Chinatown is $1,564/month (pop-weighted across 8 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 44% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Chinatown residents are renters?
81% of Chinatown households are renter-occupied (vs 48% in Portland). The neighborhood has 21,843 residents.
Q5
Is Chinatown a high social-vulnerability area?
Chinatown sits in the 47th 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 Chinatown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Chinatown is census tract 41051002303 (score 9.1/10). Across the 8 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 6.5 to 9.1, a spread of 2.6 points.
Q7
How safe is Chinatown for landlords?
Chinatown carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8/10). Pop-weighted across 8 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Portland as a whole (7.7/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Chinatown?
Chinatown has 23,032 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (70.6%), Hispanic / Latino (9%), Black (non-Hispanic) (7.9%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
