1 census tracts · pop 3,458 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.8/10
· range 4.8–4.8
Ferndale is a one-tract neighborhood of North Charleston, SC and houses 3,458 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.8/10, in the Moderate tier. 62% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, far above the North Charleston rate of 32.3%.
Severe burden reaches 29%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10.
Set annual rent against average household income of $41,360 and the ratio lands at 33%, above the conventional 30% ceiling. Running cool is supply constraint, at 1.3/10.
The poverty rate is 25%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Average gross rent is $1,154, 19% below the North Charleston average of $1,430.
Food insecurity affects 31.2% of adults, 13.4 points above the national rate. The filing record is not thin: 1,737 evictions logged in this tract. Well under the midpoint is eviction-process difficulty, at 2.5/10.
18.4% of adults carry no health insurance against 11.3% nationally, a common route into sudden unpayable debt. The worst year on record was 2012, when filings touched 47.8% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 45.0% in 2015 against a 47.8% peak.
That places it #1 of 23 neighborhoods in North Charleston. The closest comparables inside the same city are Deweys Hill and Forestdale.
One tract means one number: 4.8/10 applies directly to any address inside the boundary. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.8
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
Ferndale vs North CharlestonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority89%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport100%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Ferndale
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,737Total filings (sum)
45.33%Avg annual filing rate
47.8%Peak year (2012)
44.99%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
1,166Total filings 2020-21
15.1Avg monthly observed
30.5Pre-pandemic baseline
0.50×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 Ferndale
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
23.7%Housing insecurity
16.3%Utility shutoff threat
31.2%Food insecurity
21.9%SNAP enrollment
18.4%No health insurance
35.6%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Ferndale
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Ferndale?
Ferndale scores 4.8/10 (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 Ferndale compare to North Charleston overall?
Ferndale scores 1.4 points higher than North Charleston overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 62% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,154 vs $1,430.
Q3
What is the average rent in Ferndale?
Average gross rent in Ferndale is $1,154/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 62% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Ferndale residents are renters?
63% of Ferndale households are renter-occupied (vs 50% in North Charleston). The neighborhood has 3,458 residents.
Q5
Is Ferndale a high social-vulnerability area?
Ferndale sits in the 99th 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
How safe is Ferndale for landlords?
Ferndale carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.8/10). 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 North Charleston as a whole (3.4/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Ferndale?
Ferndale has 3,598 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (70%), White (non-Hispanic) (12.6%), Hispanic / Latino (11.1%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
