Neighborhood · Ranked #19,562 of 84,120 nationally

University Heights Eviction Risk: Moderate , Buffalo

Tract 36029008003 · Erie County, NY · pop 4,842 · neighborhood within 1.0 mi

The University Heights area of Buffalo anchors census tract 36029008003, which lands at 5.6/10 on landlord eviction risk. That is riskier than roughly 60% of the 84,120 US census tracts we score.

48% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 0% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $893 a month while the average household earns $68,310 a year, roughly 16% of income at the averages. About 20% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Risk score

5.4

Moderate

Confidence 85% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 10% Stable renters 11% Owners 79%

Tract context

Occupied units2,494

Renter share20.1%

SVI overall0.32

Poverty rate8.1%

Median income$68,310

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Buffalo and the region

Centroid at 42.9645, -78.8325 · click any tract to drill in

Why University Heights scores 5.4

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Buffalo

6.2

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.7

State political climate

New York legislature & governorship

7.3

Economic stress

8.1% poverty · this tract

2.0

Supply constraint

$893 rent vs county FMR

2.6

Rent control risk

Inherited from Buffalo

5.9

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

7.0

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Buffalo

2.5

Housing court bias

Inherited from Buffalo

4.1

How University Heights compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 32

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

25%Socioeconomic
72%Household composition
24%Racial/ethnic minority
28%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
3%Grade B
90%Grade C
0%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 University Heights. 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.

9.9%Housing insecurity
6.2%Utility-shutoff threat
10.0%Food insecurity
8.7%SNAP enrollment
6.2%Transit barriers
4.7%No health insurance
15.6%Frequent mental distress
21.2%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in University Heights

What moves this score most is eviction process difficulty at $1/10. 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 Buffalo eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores below the Erie County average of 6.1 and below the New York statewide average of 6.3. Within its own county it reads on the safer side for landlords.

In CDC survey modeling, about 9.9% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 6.2% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

HOLC surveyors mapped this tract in the 1930s with a dominant grade of C ("Declining"), above the redlined D tier. The grading still shaped decades of lending and development in the surrounding area.

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

Frequently asked

About tract 36029008003

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 36029008003?

Census tract 36029008003 in the University Heights neighborhood scores 5.4/10 (Moderate tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 36029008003?

Median gross rent is $893/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 48% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 36029008003?

8.1% of residents in tract 36029008003 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,842.

How socially vulnerable is tract 36029008003?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 32th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 25th, household 72th, minority 24th, housing 28th.

Is tract 36029008003 considered part of University Heights?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 36029008003 fall within University Heights (neighborhood centroid within 1.0 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 36029008003 struggle to pay rent?

About 9.9% 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. 6.2% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 36029008003 compare to Buffalo overall?

Tract 36029008003 scores 5.4/10, lower than the parent city of Buffalo at 9.4/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Buffalo eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 36029008003 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. 0% 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 Buffalo

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