Neighborhood · Ranked #5,198 of 84,120 nationally

Merrick Eviction Risk: Elevated , West Springfield Town

Tract 25013800600 · Hampden County, MA · pop 2,296 · neighborhood within 0.9 mi

Tract 25013800600, home to 2,296 residents in the Merrick area of West Springfield Town, scores 7.6/10 for landlord eviction risk. That is riskier than about 99% of US census tracts.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 70% of renter households, a severe level, and 40% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average rent runs $1,063 a month against an average household income of $28,019 a year, roughly 46% of income at the averages. Renters make up 80% of occupied homes, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

6.9

Elevated

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 55% Stable renters 24% Owners 21%

Tract context

Occupied units775

Renter share79.6%

SVI overall0.98

Poverty rate46.9%

Median income$28,019

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across West Springfield Town and the region

Centroid at 42.1201, -72.6083 · click any tract to drill in

Why Merrick scores 6.9

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from West Springfield Town

7.0

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.9

State political climate

Massachusetts legislature & governorship

6.2

Economic stress

46.9% poverty · this tract

10.0

Supply constraint

$1,063 rent vs county FMR

2.1

Rent control risk

Inherited from West Springfield Town

5.5

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

7.0

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from West Springfield Town

6.5

Housing court bias

Inherited from West Springfield Town

7.0

How Merrick compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 98

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

93%Socioeconomic
99%Household composition
94%Racial/ethnic minority
84%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within Merrick. 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.

43.6%Housing insecurity
30.8%Utility-shutoff threat
56.5%Food insecurity
64.9%SNAP enrollment
29.6%Transit barriers
27.6%No health insurance
24.5%Frequent mental distress
51.6%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Merrick

The score leans hardest on 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 West Springfield Town eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Hampden County average of 6.6 and above the Massachusetts statewide average of 5.9. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

In CDC survey modeling, about 43.6% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 30.8% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is predominantly Hispanic or Latino and ranks around the 98th 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, this is a tract where process discipline pays off. Clean paperwork and steady screening keep the elevated risk manageable.

Frequently asked

About tract 25013800600

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 25013800600?

Census tract 25013800600 in the Merrick neighborhood scores 6.9/10 (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 25013800600?

Median gross rent is $1,063/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 70% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 25013800600?

46.9% of residents in tract 25013800600 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,296.

How socially vulnerable is tract 25013800600?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 98th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 93th, household 99th, minority 94th, housing 84th.

Is tract 25013800600 considered part of Merrick?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 25013800600 fall within Merrick (neighborhood centroid within 0.9 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 25013800600 struggle to pay rent?

About 43.6% 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. 30.8% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 25013800600 compare to West Springfield Town overall?

Tract 25013800600 scores 6.9/10, higher than the parent city of West Springfield Town at 5.9/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from West Springfield Town eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in West Springfield Town

Top eight tracts in West Springfield Town ranked by composite eviction-risk score.