Neighborhood · Ranked #48,083 of 84,120 nationally

Southmoor Park Eviction Risk: Lower , Merrillville

Tract 18089042503 · Lake County, IN · pop 3,187 · neighborhood within 0.2 mi

For landlords sizing up the Southmoor Park neighborhood of Merrillville, census tract 18089042503 carries a moderate eviction-risk score of 4.8/10. That is riskier than roughly 32% of the 84,120 US census tracts we score.

37% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a high level, and 9% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $423 a month while the average household earns $58,406 a year, roughly 9% of income at the averages. Renters make up 33% of occupied homes.

Risk score

3.6

Lower

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 12% Stable renters 21% Owners 67%

Tract context

Occupied units1,504

Renter share32.7%

SVI overall0.69

Poverty rate9.6%

Median income$58,406

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Merrillville and the region

Centroid at 41.4784, -87.3442 · click any tract to drill in

Why Southmoor Park scores 3.6

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local 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

9.6% poverty · this tract

2.4

Supply constraint

$423 rent vs county FMR

1.0

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: 69

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

38%Socioeconomic
81%Household composition
77%Racial/ethnic minority
80%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.

14.1%Housing insecurity
11.0%Utility-shutoff threat
18.8%Food insecurity
11.1%SNAP enrollment
8.9%Transit barriers
8.9%No health insurance
15.7%Frequent mental distress
32.0%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Southmoor Park

The score leans hardest on 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 below the Lake County average of 5.2 and in line with the Indiana statewide average of 4.7. Within its own county it reads on the safer side for landlords.

The tract is Black and White and ranks around the 69th 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.

In CDC survey modeling, about 14.1% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 11.0% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

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

Frequently asked

About tract 18089042503

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089042503?

Census tract 18089042503 in the Southmoor Park neighborhood scores 3.6/10 (Lower 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 18089042503?

Median gross rent is $423/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 37% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 18089042503?

9.6% of residents in tract 18089042503 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 3,187.

How socially vulnerable is tract 18089042503?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 69th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 38th, household 81th, minority 77th, housing 80th.

Is tract 18089042503 considered part of Southmoor Park?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 18089042503 fall within Southmoor Park (neighborhood centroid within 0.2 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 18089042503 struggle to pay rent?

About 14.1% 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. 11.0% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 18089042503 compare to Merrillville overall?

Tract 18089042503 scores 3.6/10, 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.