2 census tracts · pop 8,453 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8/10
· range 8–8
Somerville spans 2 census tracts of Philadelphia, PA and houses 8,453 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 8/10, in the High tier. Cost burden runs 65% against 31.4% citywide, putting Somerville 33.7% over its own city.
At $451 a month, rents sit 68% under what the rest of Philadelphia commands. Severe burden reaches 36%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. Annualized rent equals 39% of average household income here, past the 30% affordability line, which compresses the margin any screening standard has to work with.
The poverty rate is 34%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest. The dominant input is economic stress at 8.4/10.
On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 7.5/10. Court records carry 611 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts.
Sitting well above the midpoint is tenant-organizing strength at 7.5/10. Filing activity peaked in 2012 at 29.9% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 11.2% in 2016, is well off that peak.
That places it #1 of 152 neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Social vulnerability runs high at 8.4/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
With little internal variation, 8/10 is a fair proxy for any address inside the boundary. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
8
High
2 tracts · population-weighted
Somerville vs PhiladelphiaHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority98%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport47%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Somerville
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
611Total filings (sum)
12.21%Avg annual filing rate
29.9%Peak year (2012)
10.36%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
456Total filings 2020-21
3.0Avg monthly observed
6.0Pre-pandemic baseline
0.50×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran far below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Palm Beach).
Frequently asked
About Somerville
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Somerville?
Somerville scores 8/10 (High tier) across 2 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 Somerville compare to Philadelphia overall?
Somerville scores 1.4 points higher than Philadelphia overall (6.6/10). Renters spend 65% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $451 vs $1,397.
Q3
What is the average rent in Somerville?
Average gross rent in Somerville is $451/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 65% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Somerville residents are renters?
41% of Somerville households are renter-occupied (vs 48% in Philadelphia). The neighborhood has 8,453 residents.
Q5
Is Somerville a high social-vulnerability area?
Somerville sits in the 83rd 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 Somerville have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Somerville is census tract 42101027700 (score 8/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 8 to 8, a spread of 0 points.
Q7
How safe is Somerville for landlords?
Somerville carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8/10). Pop-weighted across 2 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Philadelphia as a whole (6.6/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Somerville?
Somerville has 8,730 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (92.2%), Other / Multiracial (3.2%), Hispanic / Latino (1.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
