Neighborhood · Ranked #11,930 of 84,120 nationally

Downtown Rockford Eviction Risk: Elevated

Tract 17201002500 · Winnebago County, IL · pop 2,749 · neighborhood within 1.3 mi

The Moderate-tier score of 5.7/10 for census tract 17201002500 reflects conditions in the Downtown Rockford neighborhood of Rockford, Illinois. That is riskier than about 65% of US census tracts.

56% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 48% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $850 monthly, set against $37,344 in average yearly household income, roughly 27% of income at the averages. About 60% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

Elevated

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 34% Stable renters 26% Owners 40%

Tract context

Occupied units877

Renter share59.5%

SVI overall0.83

Poverty rate41.1%

Median income$37,344

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Rockford and the region

Centroid at 42.2739, -89.1185 · click any tract to drill in

Why Downtown Rockford scores 6

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Rockford

4.5

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.1

State political climate

Illinois legislature & governorship

5.2

Economic stress

41.1% poverty · this tract

10.0

Supply constraint

$850 rent vs county FMR

2.2

Rent control risk

Inherited from Rockford

2.0

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

3.5

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Rockford

3.0

Housing court bias

Inherited from Rockford

3.5

How Downtown Rockford compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 83

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

98%Socioeconomic
73%Household composition
90%Racial/ethnic minority
31%Housing & transportation

Historical context · 1930s redlining

HOLC grade: C: Definitely Declining

This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade C meant mixed-race / working-class neighborhoods rated as risky. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.

0%Grade A
0%Grade B
48%Grade C
23%Grade D · redlined

Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), 1935-1940 HOLC residential security maps, aggregated to 2020 census tracts by area share. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within Downtown Rockford. 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.

37.4%Housing insecurity
27.7%Utility-shutoff threat
50.1%Food insecurity
55.1%SNAP enrollment
24.8%Transit barriers
21.2%No health insurance
23.9%Frequent mental distress
45.7%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Downtown Rockford

The heaviest input here is economic stress at $1/10. That part is specific to this tract, computed from its own rent, income, and poverty figures. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Rockford eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Winnebago County average of 5.0 and in line with the Illinois statewide average of 5.4. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

Part of this tract, about 23% of its area, sat in the redlined grade-D zone on 1930s HOLC maps, though its dominant grade was C ("Declining"). That lending history still correlates with present-day rent burden.

The tract is Black and Hispanic or Latino and ranks around the 83rd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. High vulnerability tends to track with higher eviction-filing rates when rents climb.

For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 17201002500

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 17201002500?

Census tract 17201002500 in the Downtown Rockford neighborhood scores 6/10 (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 17201002500?

Median gross rent is $850/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 56% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 17201002500?

41.1% of residents in tract 17201002500 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,749.

How socially vulnerable is tract 17201002500?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 83th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 98th, household 73th, minority 90th, housing 31th.

Is tract 17201002500 considered part of Downtown Rockford?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 17201002500 fall within Downtown Rockford (neighborhood centroid within 1.3 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 17201002500 struggle to pay rent?

About 37.4% 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. 27.7% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 17201002500 compare to Rockford overall?

Tract 17201002500 scores 6/10, higher than the parent city of Rockford at 4.2/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Rockford eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 17201002500 historically redlined?

Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of C. 23% of the tract's area was rated D ("Hazardous"), the redlined tier. HOLC redlining systematically denied mortgage credit to Black, immigrant, and working-class neighborhoods and remains a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings, rent burden, and homeownership gaps. Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), Robert K. Nelson et al.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Rockford

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