2 census tracts · pop 7,694 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8/10
· range 8–8
Downtown is a 2-tract neighborhood of Providence, RI and houses 7,694 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 8/10, in the High tier. Cost burden runs 41% against 29.2% citywide, putting Downtown 11.4% over its own city.
This is a renter market: 83% of occupied units are tenant-occupied. Set annual rent against average household income of $51,870 and the ratio lands at 39%, above the conventional 30% ceiling.
The severe-burden share is 18%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. The poverty rate is 24%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Average gross rent is $1,680, 19% above the Providence average of $1,408.
The dominant input is tenant-organizing strength at 7/10. Court records carry 256 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts.
CDC survey data puts housing insecurity at 21.4% of adults, against 14.2% nationally. The worst year on record was 2016, when filings touched 8.3% of renter households.
SNAP participation is 23.2% of households versus 15.2% nationally. That places it #1 of 15 neighborhoods in Providence. Judgments average 3.4% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
With little internal variation, 8/10 is a fair proxy for any address inside the boundary. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
8
High
2 tracts · population-weighted
Downtown vs ProvidenceHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority72%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport84%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Downtown
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
256Total filings (sum)
4.88%Avg annual filing rate
8.3%Peak year (2016)
5.38%Latest filed (2016)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
923Total filings 2020-21
6.0Avg monthly observed
5.2Pre-pandemic baseline
1.18×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran near baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Portland, OR).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Downtown
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
19.5%Housing insecurity
11.8%Utility shutoff threat
24.4%Food insecurity
21.0%SNAP enrollment
11.3%No health insurance
30.0%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Downtown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downtown?
Downtown 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 Downtown compare to Providence overall?
Downtown scores 1.4 points higher than Providence overall (6.6/10). Renters spend 41% of income on rent vs 29% citywide. Average rent: $1,680 vs $1,408.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downtown?
Average gross rent in Downtown is $1,680/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 41% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downtown residents are renters?
83% of Downtown households are renter-occupied (vs 59% in Providence). The neighborhood has 7,694 residents.
Q5
Is Downtown a high social-vulnerability area?
Downtown sits in the 82nd 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 Downtown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Downtown is census tract 44007000800 (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 Downtown for landlords?
Downtown 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 Providence as a whole (6.6/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Downtown?
Downtown has 7,788 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (44.5%), Hispanic / Latino (29.8%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (13.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
