4 census tracts · pop 10,877 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.1/10
· range 5.3–6.4
South Side takes in 4 census tracts of Scranton, PA and houses 10,877 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 6.1/10, in the Elevated tier. What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 9.1/10.
The severe-burden share is 29%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. Cost burden runs 38% against 31.4% citywide, putting South Side 7.0% over its own city. The poverty rate is 24%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
The 4 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 5.3 to 6.4, a 1.1-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. Sitting well above the midpoint is housing-court posture at 7.5/10.
Filings are well documented here: 1,731 across 4 observed tracts. The worst year on record was 2006, when filings touched 34.0% of renter households. Average gross rent is $938, 10% below the Scranton average of $1,048.
Among the 9 mapped neighborhoods of Scranton, it ranks #3 by risk, the upper third. Judgments average 5.3% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
For a like-for-like read, North Scranton and Hill Section score within a fraction of it. Social vulnerability runs high at 7.7/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input. Annual rent works out to 22% of average household income of $50,374.
48% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.1 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
6.1
Elevated
4 tracts · population-weighted
South Side vs ScrantonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority54%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport50%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in South Side
Aggregated across 4 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,731Total filings (sum)
11.07%Avg annual filing rate
34.0%Peak year (2006)
13.72%Latest filed (2006)
Frequently asked
About South Side
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for South Side?
South Side scores 6.1/10 (Elevated tier) across 4 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 South Side compare to Scranton overall?
South Side scores 1.1 points higher than Scranton overall (5/10). Renters spend 38% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $938 vs $1,048.
Q3
What is the average rent in South Side?
Average gross rent in South Side is $938/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 38% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of South Side residents are renters?
48% of South Side households are renter-occupied (vs 50% in Scranton). The neighborhood has 10,877 residents.
Q5
Is South Side a high social-vulnerability area?
South Side sits in the 75th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (highly 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 South Side have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in South Side is census tract 42069102900 (score 6.4/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.3 to 6.4, a spread of 1.1 points.
Q7
How safe is South Side for landlords?
South Side carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.1/10). Pop-weighted across 4 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Scranton as a whole (5/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of South Side?
South Side has 11,019 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (61%), Hispanic / Latino (20.2%), Black (non-Hispanic) (7.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
