Neighborhood · Ranked #8,138 of 84,120 nationally

The Mesa Eviction Risk: Elevated , Santa Barbara

Tract 06083001208 · Santa Barbara, CA · pop 4,206 · neighborhood within 0.7 mi

Census tract 06083001208 belongs to The Mesa in Santa Barbara, California. It is home to 4,206 residents and scores 6.2/10, an elevated reading for landlords. On the national scale it ranks #15,886 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 60% of renter households, a severe level, and 29% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $2,954 monthly, set against $120,089 in average yearly household income, roughly 30% of income at the averages. About 54% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

6.4

Elevated

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 32% Stable renters 22% Owners 46%

Tract context

Occupied units1,607

Renter share54.1%

SVI overall0.51

Poverty rate19.6%

Median income$120,089

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Santa Barbara and the region

Centroid at 34.3984, -119.7108 · click any tract to drill in

Why The Mesa scores 6.4

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Santa Barbara

6.9

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

6.6

State political climate

California legislature & governorship

6.8

Economic stress

19.6% poverty · this tract

4.9

Supply constraint

$2,954 rent vs county FMR

4.8

Rent control risk

Inherited from Santa Barbara

7.7

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

6.7

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Santa Barbara

9.6

Housing court bias

Inherited from Santa Barbara

7.0

How The Mesa compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 51

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

48%Socioeconomic
34%Household composition
52%Racial/ethnic minority
62%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within The Mesa. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

CDC PLACES 2023 · health & economic stress

Eviction-adjacent indicators

Crude prevalence of conditions linked to housing loss. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh), 2023 model-based small-area estimates.

10.3%Housing insecurity
6.0%Utility-shutoff threat
12.2%Food insecurity
11.6%SNAP enrollment
7.7%Transit barriers
6.5%No health insurance
17.6%Frequent mental distress
29.4%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in The Mesa

The score leans hardest on tenant organizing strength at 9.6/10. That part comes from the wider legal climate rather than the tract itself. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Santa Barbara, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Santa Barbara County average of 5.5 and in line with the California statewide average of 6.1. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

In CDC survey modeling, about 10.3% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 6.0% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 51st percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

For a landlord, this is a tract where process discipline pays off. Clean paperwork and steady screening keep the elevated risk manageable.

Frequently asked

About tract 06083001208

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 06083001208?

Census tract 06083001208 in the The Mesa neighborhood scores 6.4/10 (Elevated tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 06083001208?

Median gross rent is $2,954/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 60% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 06083001208?

19.6% of residents in tract 06083001208 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,206.

How socially vulnerable is tract 06083001208?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 51th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 48th, household 34th, minority 52th, housing 62th.

Is tract 06083001208 considered part of The Mesa?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 06083001208 fall within The Mesa (neighborhood centroid within 0.7 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 06083001208 struggle to pay rent?

About 10.3% of adults in this tract reported housing insecurity (could not pay rent or mortgage in the past 12 months), per the CDC PLACES 2023 model-based small-area estimate. 6.0% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 06083001208 compare to Santa Barbara overall?

Tract 06083001208 scores 6.4/10, lower than the parent city of Santa Barbara at 8.1/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Santa Barbara; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Santa Barbara

Top eight tracts in Santa Barbara ranked by composite eviction-risk score.