1 census tracts · pop 2,868 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.2/10
· range 5.2–5.2
Waverly is a one-tract suburb of Columbia, SC, population 2,868. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 5.2/10, in the Moderate tier. At $753 a month, rents sit 37% under what the rest of Columbia commands.
The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. 26% 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.
Running cool is supply constraint, at 1/10. 76% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over. Annualized rent equals 35% 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 26%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Food insecurity affects 31.2% of adults, 13.4 points above the national rate.
CDC survey data puts housing insecurity at 22.9% of adults, against 14.2% nationally. Court records for this tract carry 1,143 eviction filings.
Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 41.4% of renter households. On the softer side is eviction-process difficulty, at 3/10. Rent consumes at least 30% of income for 36% of renter households.
Recent filings have not receded much: 38.5% in 2014 against a 41.4% peak. Among the 16 mapped neighborhoods of Columbia, it ranks #1 by risk, the upper third.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 5.2/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
5.2
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
Waverly vs ColumbiaHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority78%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 Waverly
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,143Total filings (sum)
34.87%Avg annual filing rate
41.4%Peak year (2010)
38.50%Latest filed (2014)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Waverly
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
22.9%Housing insecurity
16.1%Utility shutoff threat
31.2%Food insecurity
22.4%SNAP enrollment
13.8%No health insurance
39.5%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Waverly
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Waverly?
Waverly scores 5.2/10 (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 Waverly compare to Columbia overall?
Waverly scores 1.4 points higher than Columbia overall (3.8/10). Renters spend 36% of income on rent vs 36% citywide. Average rent: $753 vs $1,204.
Q3
What is the average rent in Waverly?
Average gross rent in Waverly is $753/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 36% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Waverly residents are renters?
76% of Waverly households are renter-occupied (vs 54% in Columbia). The neighborhood has 2,868 residents.
Q5
Is Waverly a high social-vulnerability area?
Waverly sits in the 90th 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 Waverly for landlords?
Waverly carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.2/10). 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 Columbia as a whole (3.8/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Waverly?
Waverly has 2,761 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (61.4%), White (non-Hispanic) (33.5%), Other / Multiracial (2.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
