2 census tracts · pop 9,812 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.8/10
· range 3.7–4.1
Essex takes in 2 census tracts of Charleston, SC, population 9,812. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 3.8/10, in the Lower tier. The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10.
Against a Charleston baseline of 32.7%, 42% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line. At $1,321 a month, rents sit 23% under what the rest of Charleston commands. 16% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
On the softer side is supply constraint, at 2.2/10. Filings are well documented here: 1,632 across 2 observed tracts. Running cool is economic stress, at 2.7/10.
Filing activity peaked in 2014 at 34.9% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 12.9% in 2015, is well off that peak. That places it #12 of 23 neighborhoods in Charleston.
The closest comparables inside the same city are Camp Road Estates and Ashley Villas. Its 2 tracts score within 0.4 points of one another, so the area figure travels well to individual addresses.
With little internal variation, 3.8/10 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
3.8
Lower
2 tracts · population-weighted
Essex vs CharlestonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority49%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport88%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Essex
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,632Total filings (sum)
16.19%Avg annual filing rate
34.9%Peak year (2014)
11.99%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
941Total filings 2020-21
6.6Avg monthly observed
13.4Pre-pandemic baseline
0.48×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran far below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Charleston, SC).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Essex
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
10.9%Housing insecurity
7.2%Utility shutoff threat
13.3%Food insecurity
7.5%SNAP enrollment
10.4%No health insurance
26.8%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Essex
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Essex?
Essex scores 3.8/10 (Lower 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 Essex compare to Charleston overall?
Essex scores 0.3 points higher than Charleston overall (3.5/10). Renters spend 42% of income on rent vs 33% citywide. Average rent: $1,321 vs $1,722.
Q3
What is the average rent in Essex?
Average gross rent in Essex is $1,321/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 42% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Essex residents are renters?
47% of Essex households are renter-occupied (vs 44% in Charleston). The neighborhood has 9,812 residents.
Q5
Is Essex a high social-vulnerability area?
Essex sits in the 67th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately 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 Essex have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Essex is census tract 45019002614 (score 4.1/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.7 to 4.1, a spread of 0.4 points.
Q7
How safe is Essex for landlords?
Essex carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.8/10). 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 Charleston as a whole (3.5/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Essex?
Essex has 9,264 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (65.8%), Black (non-Hispanic) (21.7%), Hispanic / Latino (5.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
