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Neighborhood · Ranked #51,553 of 84,120 nationally

Southmoor Park Eviction Risk: Lower , Merrillville

Tract 18089042509 · Lake County, IN · pop 3,930 · neighborhood within 1.2 mi

Census tract 18089042509 belongs to Southmoor Park in Merrillville, Indiana. It is home to 3,930 residents and scores 5.5/10, a moderate reading for landlords. On the national scale it ranks #35,842 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

45% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 29% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,693 monthly, set against $71,711 in average yearly household income, roughly 28% of income at the averages. Renters make up 61% of occupied homes, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score
3.4
Lower
Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 27% Stable renters 34% Owners 39%
Tract context
Occupied units1,714
Renter share60.5%
SVI overall0.77
Poverty rate9.8%
Median income$71,711

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.
Within neighborhood
0 th percentile
Rank, 0th percentileLowHigh
#3 of 3 tracts In Southmoor Park
Very Low
Within parent city
22 th percentile
Rank, 22nd percentileLowHigh
#8 of 10 tracts In Merrillville
Low
Within county
40 th percentile
Rank, 40th percentileLowHigh
#79 of 131 tracts In Lake County
Moderate
Within state
49 th percentile
Rank, 49th percentileLowHigh
#870 of 1,693 tracts In Indiana
Moderate
Geographic context

Risk heat across Merrillville and the region

Centroid at 41.4593, -87.3425 · click any tract to drill in

Why Southmoor Park scores 3.4

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
9.8% poverty · this tract
2.5
Supply constraint
$1,693 rent vs county FMR
9.1
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.
Southmoor Park risk score vs. parent city / county / stateThis tract: 3.43.4This tracttract 042509Merrillville: 2.72.7Merrillvilleparent cityCounty: 3.93.9Countyavg tract in countyState: 3.63.6Stateavg tract in state
CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 77

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

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.

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Southmoor Park

The heaviest input here is supply constraint at 9.1/10. 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 Merrillville eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores about the same as 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 12.2% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 9.6% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is Black and White and ranks around the 77th 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 18089042509

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 18089042509?

Census tract 18089042509 in the Southmoor Park neighborhood scores 3.4/10 (Lower tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2

What is the average rent in tract 18089042509?

Median gross rent is $1,693/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 45% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3

What is the poverty rate in tract 18089042509?

9.8% of residents in tract 18089042509 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 3,930.
Q4

How socially vulnerable is tract 18089042509?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 77th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 61th, household 68th, minority 79th, housing 83th.
Q5

Is tract 18089042509 considered part of Southmoor Park?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 18089042509 fall within Southmoor Park (neighborhood centroid within 1.2 miles, OSM data).
Q6

What share of households in tract 18089042509 struggle to pay rent?

About 12.2% 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. 9.6% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.
Q7

How does tract 18089042509 compare to Merrillville overall?

Tract 18089042509 scores 3.4/10, 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.

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