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Neighborhood · Ranked #4,036 of 84,120 nationally

Center City Eviction Risk: Elevated , Allentown

Tract 42077001000 · Lehigh County, PA · pop 4,198 · neighborhood within 0.1 mi

Center City in Allentown anchors census tract 42077001000, which lands at $1/10 on landlord eviction risk. On the national scale it ranks #5,134 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 86% of renter households, a severe level, and 43% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average rent runs $1,305 a month against an average household income of $32,599 a year, roughly 48% of income at the averages. About 80% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score
7.2
Elevated
Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 69% Stable renters 11% Owners 20%
Tract context
Occupied units1,132
Renter share80.5%
SVI overall0.99
Poverty rate56.9%
Median income$32,599

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.
Within neighborhood
50 th percentile
Rank, 50th percentileLowHigh
#1 of 1 tracts In Center City
Moderate
Within parent city
96 th percentile
Rank, 96th percentileLowHigh
#2 of 28 tracts In Allentown
Very High
Within county
98 th percentile
Rank, 98th percentileLowHigh
#3 of 81 tracts In Lehigh County
Very High
Within state
100 th percentile
Rank, 100th percentileLowHigh
#12 of 3,445 tracts In Pennsylvania
Very High
Geographic context

Risk heat across Allentown and the region

Centroid at 40.6072, -75.4717 · click any tract to drill in

Why Center City scores 7.2

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly
Local political climate
Inherited from Allentown
5.5
Regional political climate
2024 county presidential margin
5.4
State political climate
Pennsylvania legislature & governorship
3.4
Economic stress
56.9% poverty · this tract
10.0
Supply constraint
$1,305 rent vs county FMR
3.7
Rent control risk
Inherited from Allentown
4.0
Eviction process difficulty
State law sets the calendar
5.5
Tenant organizing strength
Inherited from Allentown
5.0
Housing court bias
Inherited from Allentown
5.5

How Center City compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.
Center City risk score vs. parent city / county / stateThis tract: 7.27.2This tracttract 001000Allentown: 5.05.0Allentownparent cityCounty: 4.04.0Countyavg tract in countyState: 3.93.9Stateavg tract in state
CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 99

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

Eviction filings

Court-record eviction history

Court-validated eviction filings collected from county clerks and consolidated by the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households.1

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

  • 1,172Total filings over 7 yrs
  • 26.37%Avg annual filing rate
  • 41.4%Peak (2006)
  • 236Filings in 2006 (latest validated)
Filings by year 2000 to 2006
Year-by-year eviction filings in tract 420770010002000: 134 filings (19.76/100 renter HHs)2001: 129 filings (19.03/100 renter HHs)2002: 166 filings (24.48/100 renter HHs)2003: 165 filings (24.34/100 renter HHs)2004: 158 filings (23.30/100 renter HHs)2005: 184 filings (32.28/100 renter HHs)2006: 236 filings (41.40/100 renter HHs)
Filings climbed 76% over the past 7 months.
Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Center City

The heaviest input here is 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 Allentown eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Lehigh County average of 5.8 and above the Pennsylvania statewide average of 5.4. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

The tract is predominantly Hispanic or Latino and ranks around the 99th 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.

Princeton's Eviction Lab logged 1,172 eviction filings here over 7 tracked years, with about 26.4% of renter households facing a filing in a typical year. Filings peaked at 41.4% of renter households in 2006.

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 42077001000

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 42077001000?

Census tract 42077001000 in the Center City neighborhood scores 7.2/10 (Elevated tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2

What is the average rent in tract 42077001000?

Median gross rent is $1,305/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 86% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3

What is the poverty rate in tract 42077001000?

56.9% of residents in tract 42077001000 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,198.
Q4

How socially vulnerable is tract 42077001000?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 99th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 100th, household 96th, minority 90th, housing 88th.
Q5

Is tract 42077001000 considered part of Center City?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 42077001000 fall within Center City (neighborhood centroid within 0.1 miles, OSM data).
Q6

How many evictions are filed each year in tract 42077001000?

Princeton Eviction Lab recorded 1,172 eviction filings across 7 validated years in tract 42077001000 (2000-2018). The average annual filing rate is 26.37% of renter households, peaking at 41.4% in 2006. Source: Eviction Lab tract-validated 2024 release.
Q7

How does tract 42077001000 compare to Allentown overall?

Tract 42077001000 scores 7.2/10, higher than the parent city of Allentown at 5/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Allentown eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.
Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Allentown

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

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