1 census tracts · pop 4,198 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.6/10
· range 6.6–6.6
Center City maps to a single census tract in Allentown, PA, population 4,198. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 6.6/10, Elevated tier. The severe-burden share is 43%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay.
Against a Allentown baseline of 35.0%, 86% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line. What pushes the score up most is economic stress at 10/10.
The poverty rate is 57%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Annualized rent equals 48% of average household income here, past the 30% affordability line, which compresses the margin any screening standard has to work with. This is a renter market: 81% of occupied units are tenant-occupied.
Court records for this tract carry 1,172 eviction filings. The worst year on record was 2006, when filings touched 41.4% of renter households. That places it #1 of 26 neighborhoods in Allentown.
Judgments average 17.7% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order. The closest comparables inside the same city are Sacred Heart and Union Terrace.
Social vulnerability runs high at 9.9/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input. Average gross rent runs $1,305, close to the Allentown average.
One tract means one number: 6.6/10 applies directly to any address inside the boundary. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
6.6
Elevated
1 tracts · population-weighted
Center City vs AllentownHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority90%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport89%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Center City
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,172Total filings (sum)
26.37%Avg annual filing rate
41.4%Peak year (2006)
41.40%Latest filed (2006)
Frequently asked
About Center City
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Center City?
Center City scores 6.6/10 (Elevated tier) across 1 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 Center City compare to Allentown overall?
Center City scores 1.4 points higher than Allentown overall (5.2/10). Renters spend 86% of income on rent vs 35% citywide. Average rent: $1,305 vs $1,317.
Q3
What is the average rent in Center City?
Average gross rent in Center City is $1,305/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 86% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Center City residents are renters?
81% of Center City households are renter-occupied (vs 57% in Allentown). The neighborhood has 4,198 residents.
Q5
Is Center City a high social-vulnerability area?
Center City sits in the 99th 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
How safe is Center City for landlords?
Center City carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.6/10). Pop-weighted across 1 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Allentown as a whole (5.2/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Center City?
Center City has 4,658 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (73.4%), Black (non-Hispanic) (14.2%), White (non-Hispanic) (10.5%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
