5 census tracts · pop 14,491 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8.8/10
· range 7.9–9.1
University District spans 5 census tracts of Portland, OR and houses 14,491 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 8.8/10, placing it in the High tier. Against a Portland baseline of 31.4%, about half of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
This is a renter market: 85% of occupied units are tenant-occupied. The dominant input is tenant-organizing strength at 9/10.
27% 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. Running hot is rent-regulation exposure at 8.5/10.
On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 8.5/10. The poverty rate is 27%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment.
The 5 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 7.9 to 9.1, a 1.2-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. Court records for this tract carry 1,089 eviction filings.
The worst year on record was 2002, when filings touched 10.3% of renter households. Average gross rent is $1,506, 9% below the Portland average of $1,655. The most recent observed rate, 3.7% in 2016, is well off that peak.
Among the 52 mapped neighborhoods of Portland, it ranks #8 by risk, the upper third. Annual rent works out to 30% of average household income of $59,948.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 8.8 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
8.8
High
5 tracts · population-weighted
University District vs PortlandHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority50%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 University District
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,089Total filings (sum)
5.23%Avg annual filing rate
10.3%Peak year (2002)
3.68%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
2,314Total filings 2020-21
6.2Avg monthly observed
3.6Pre-pandemic baseline
2.01×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Pittsburgh, PA).
Frequently asked
About University District
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for University District?
University District scores 8.8/10 (High tier) across 5 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 University District compare to Portland overall?
University District scores 1.1 points higher than Portland overall (7.7/10). Renters spend 50% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,506 vs $1,655.
Q3
What is the average rent in University District?
Average gross rent in University District is $1,506/month (pop-weighted across 5 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 50% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of University District residents are renters?
85% of University District households are renter-occupied (vs 48% in Portland). The neighborhood has 14,491 residents.
Q5
Is University District a high social-vulnerability area?
University District sits in the 66th 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 University District have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in University District is census tract 41051005602 (score 9.1/10). Across the 5 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 7.9 to 9.1, a spread of 1.2 points.
Q7
How safe is University District for landlords?
University District carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8.8/10). Pop-weighted across 5 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 higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of University District?
University District has 14,867 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (64.5%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (10.6%), Hispanic / Latino (9.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
