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Neighborhood · Philadelphia, PA

West Kensington Eviction Risk: Elevated

2 census tracts · pop 6,343 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 7.7/10 · range 7.3–8

West Kensington spans 2 census tracts of Philadelphia, PA, population 6,343. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 7.7/10, Elevated tier. Average gross rent is $820, 41% below the Philadelphia average of $1,397.

The poverty rate is 39%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. The clearest offset is supply constraint, at 1/10.

42% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, well above the Philadelphia rate of 31.4%. Annualized rent equals 33% of average household income here, past the 30% affordability line, which compresses the margin any screening standard has to work with.

The severe-burden share is 20%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. On the high side is economic stress at 8.2/10. Filings are well documented here: 570 across 2 observed tracts.

Running hot is eviction-process difficulty at 7.5/10. Filing activity peaked in 2012 at 16.8% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 5.7% in 2016, is well off that peak.

That places it #37 of 152 neighborhoods in Philadelphia. Social vulnerability runs high at 9.8/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.

The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.

Risk score
7.7
Elevated
2 tracts · population-weighted
West Kensington vs Philadelphia How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
% of income on rent
41.7% +33%
Philadelphia: 31.4%
Average gross rent
$820 -41%
Philadelphia: $1,397
Average HH income
$29,814 -51%
Philadelphia: $60,698
Poverty rate
38.9% +77%
Philadelphia: 22.0%
Renter share
63.2% +31%
Philadelphia: 48.2%
Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across West Kensington and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 2 tracts span score 7.3–8

Why West Kensington scores 7.7

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly
State political climate
legislature & governorship · Range 3.4–3.4 across tracts
3.4
Regional political climate
County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 8.2–8.2 across tracts
8.2
Local political climate
Parent city governance · Range 8.0–8.0 across tracts
8.0
Rent control risk
42% of income on rent · Range 6.0–6.0 across tracts
6.0
Eviction process difficulty
State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 7.5–7.5 across tracts
7.5
Tenant organizing strength
63% renter households · Range 7.5–7.5 across tracts
7.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition · Range 7.5–7.5 across tracts
7.5
Economic stress
38.9% below poverty line · Range 5.1–10.0 across tracts
8.2
Supply constraint
Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.0–1.0 across tracts
1.0
Risk score comparison

West Kensington vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

West Kensington score vs. parent city, state, U.S.7.7West KensingtonNeighborhood6.6Parent cityhost city4.9Stateavg in state5.1U.S.national avgU.S. avg = 5.0
Census tracts

2 tracts in West Kensington

Ranked highest-risk first. Click for per-tract detail.

Tract↕ Score↕ Pop↕ % over 30% on rent↕ Average rent↕
42101016400 8 4,019 36% $736
42101016200 7.3 2,324 51% $966
Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 97

Pop-weighted across 2 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 98%ile
Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden
Household characteristics 98%ile
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority 96%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport 68%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in West Kensington

Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

  • 570Total filings (sum)
  • 9.98%Avg annual filing rate
  • 16.8%Peak year (2012)
  • 5.86%Latest filed (2016)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

  • 320Total filings 2020-21
  • 2.2Avg monthly observed
  • 4.0Pre-pandemic baseline
  • 0.65×Ratio to baseline

Pandemic filings ran far below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Palm Beach).

Frequently asked

About West Kensington

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for West Kensington?

West Kensington scores 7.7/10 (Elevated 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 West Kensington compare to Philadelphia overall?

West Kensington scores 1.1 points higher than Philadelphia overall (6.6/10). Renters spend 42% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $820 vs $1,397.
Q3

What is the average rent in West Kensington?

Average gross rent in West Kensington is $820/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 42% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4

What percentage of West Kensington residents are renters?

63% of West Kensington households are renter-occupied (vs 48% in Philadelphia). The neighborhood has 6,343 residents.
Q5

Is West Kensington a high social-vulnerability area?

West Kensington sits in the 97th 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 West Kensington have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in West Kensington is census tract 42101016400 (score 8/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 7.3 to 8, a spread of 0.7 points.
Q7

How safe is West Kensington for landlords?

West Kensington carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (7.7/10). 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 West Kensington?

West Kensington has 6,374 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (72.3%), Black (non-Hispanic) (16.6%), White (non-Hispanic) (5.3%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
Nearby

Other neighborhoods near West Kensington

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Philadelphia

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to West Kensington.

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