Within neighborhood
100
th percentile
Very High
Neighborhood · Ranked #31,159 of 84,120 nationally
Southmoor Park Eviction Risk: Moderate , Merrillville
Tract 18089042404 · Lake County, IN · pop 2,331 · neighborhood within 1.1 mi
Census tract 18089042404 covers the Southmoor Park neighborhood of Merrillville, home to 2,331 residents. For landlords it grades 5.7/10, a moderate reading. It lands near the 65th percentile nationally for landlord eviction risk.
Rent eats 30% or more of income for 68% of renter households, a severe level, and 40% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,206 monthly, set against $41,779 in average yearly household income, roughly 35% of income at the averages. About 30% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
Risk score
4.6
Moderate
Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 21%
Stable renters 10%
Owners 69%
Tract context
Occupied units1,124
Renter share30.3%
SVI overall0.61
Poverty rate20.1%
Median income$41,779
Percentile rank
Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.Within parent city
100
th percentile
Very High
Within county
64
th percentile
Elevated
Within state
78
th percentile
High
Geographic context
Risk heat across Merrillville and the region
Centroid at 41.4915, -87.3395 · click any tract to drill in
Why Southmoor Park scores 4.6
9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendlyLocal political climate
Inherited from Merrillville
6.2
Regional political climate
2024 county presidential margin
5.8
State political climate
Indiana legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
20.1% poverty · this tract
5.0
Supply constraint
$1,206 rent vs county FMR
5.1
Rent control risk
Inherited from Merrillville
7.6
Eviction process difficulty
State law sets the calendar
1.9
Tenant organizing strength
Inherited from Merrillville
6.8
Housing court bias
Inherited from Merrillville
7.0
How Southmoor Park compares
Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.CDC Social Vulnerability Index
SVI percentile: 61
CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.
- 62%Socioeconomic
- 34%Household composition
- 69%Racial/ethnic minority
- 61%Housing & transportation
Comparable tracts
Census tracts with similar eviction risk
Within Southmoor Park. 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.
- 16.8%Housing insecurity
- 13.3%Utility-shutoff threat
- 23.8%Food insecurity
- 15.4%SNAP enrollment
- 11.2%Transit barriers
- 11.5%No health insurance
- 17.4%Frequent mental distress
- 36.9%Any disability
Analysis
What drives eviction risk in Southmoor Park
What moves this score most is rent-control risk at 7.6/10. 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 Merrillville eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.
Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Lake County average of 5.2 and above the Indiana statewide average of 4.7. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.
In CDC survey modeling, about 16.8% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 13.3% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.
The tract is White and Black and ranks around the 61st 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, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.
Frequently asked
About tract 18089042404
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089042404?
Census tract 18089042404 in the Southmoor Park neighborhood scores 4.6/10 (Moderate tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2
What is the average rent in tract 18089042404?
Median gross rent is $1,206/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 68% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3
What is the poverty rate in tract 18089042404?
20.1% of residents in tract 18089042404 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,331.
Q4
How socially vulnerable is tract 18089042404?
CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 61th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 62th, household 34th, minority 69th, housing 61th.
Q5
Is tract 18089042404 considered part of Southmoor Park?
Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 18089042404 fall within Southmoor Park (neighborhood centroid within 1.1 miles, OSM data).
Q6
What share of households in tract 18089042404 struggle to pay rent?
About 16.8% 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. 13.3% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.
Q7
How does tract 18089042404 compare to Merrillville overall?
Tract 18089042404 scores 4.6/10, higher than the parent city of Merrillville at 2.7/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Merrillville eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.
Sibling tracts
Highest-risk tracts in Merrillville
Top eight tracts in Merrillville ranked by composite eviction-risk score.
Tract · IN
Lincoln Village
4.5
/ 10 · Moderate
Tract · IN
18089042403
4.1
/ 10 · Moderate
Tract · IN
Lincoln Village
3.8
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Southmoor Park
3.6
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Lottaville
3.5
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Lottaville
3.5
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Southmoor Park
3.4
/ 10 · Low
Tract · IN
Chapel Manor
3.3
/ 10 · Low
Related