1 census tracts · pop 5,660 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.8/10
· range 5.8–5.8
Penn Summit is a one-tract neighborhood of Bethlehem, PA, population 5,660. Scored across those inputs it reaches 5.8/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. Against a Bethlehem baseline of 31.1%, 62% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
At $1,908 a month, rents sit 38% over what the rest of Bethlehem commands. What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 9.1/10. The voucher gap is 26.6%: households holding assistance that local rents will not absorb, which shows up as churn rather than arrears.
On the softer side is economic stress, at 1.8/10. Running hot is supply constraint at 7.7/10. The filing record is not thin: 170 evictions logged in this tract.
Filing activity peaked in 2001 at 7.8% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 7.1% in 2006 against a 7.8% peak.
That places it #13 of 18 neighborhoods in Bethlehem. Only 27% of units are renter-occupied. Rental comparables are thin here; price renewals off the nearest genuine rental sub-market rather than off surrounding sale prices. Poverty sits at 7%, low enough that arrears here usually reflect a specific shock rather than a structural income gap.
Annual rent works out to 27% of average household income of $84,923.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 5.8/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
5.8
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
Penn Summit vs BethlehemHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority51%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport9%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Penn Summit
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
170Total filings (sum)
5.87%Avg annual filing rate
7.8%Peak year (2001)
7.09%Latest filed (2006)
Frequently asked
About Penn Summit
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Penn Summit?
Penn Summit scores 5.8/10 (Moderate 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 Penn Summit compare to Bethlehem overall?
Penn Summit scores 0.1 points lower than Bethlehem overall (5.9/10). Renters spend 62% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,908 vs $1,382.
Q3
What is the average rent in Penn Summit?
Average gross rent in Penn Summit is $1,908/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 62% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Penn Summit residents are renters?
27% of Penn Summit households are renter-occupied (vs 50% in Bethlehem). The neighborhood has 5,660 residents.
Q5
Is Penn Summit a high social-vulnerability area?
Penn Summit sits in the 17th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is Penn Summit for landlords?
Penn Summit carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.8/10). 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 Bethlehem as a whole (5.9/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Penn Summit?
Penn Summit has 5,510 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (63%), Hispanic / Latino (20.8%), Black (non-Hispanic) (13.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
