University City Eviction Risk: Elevated , Philadelphia
Tract 42101036902 ·
Philadelphia County, PA · pop 6,267 · neighborhood within 0.2 mi
Eviction risk in the University City area of Philadelphia centers on tract 42101036902, which scores $1/10 (High tier) and is home to 6,267 residents. That ranks it in the top 1% of US census tracts for landlord eviction risk, among the very hardest places in the country to operate.
57% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 41% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $2,979 monthly, set against $31,635 in average yearly household income, roughly 113% of income at the averages. Renters make up 98% of occupied homes, a renter-majority tract.
Risk score
7
Elevated
Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 56%Stable renters 42%Owners 2%
Tract context
Occupied units1,013
Renter share98.3%
SVI overall0.54
Poverty rate46.9%
Median income$31,635
Percentile rank
Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.
Within neighborhood
100th percentile
#1 of 2 tracts In University City
Very High
Within parent city
92th percentile
#34 of 408 tracts In Philadelphia
Very High
Within county
94th percentile
#26 of 408 tracts In Philadelphia County
Very High
Within state
99th percentile
#54 of 3,445 tracts In Pennsylvania
Very High
Geographic context
Risk heat across Philadelphia and the region
Centroid at 39.9523, -75.1890 · click any tract to drill in
Why University City scores 7
9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly
Local political climate
Inherited from Philadelphia
8.0
Regional political climate
2024 county presidential margin
8.2
State political climate
Pennsylvania legislature & governorship
3.4
Economic stress
46.9% poverty · this tract
10.0
Supply constraint
$2,979 rent vs county FMR
10.0
Rent control risk
Inherited from Philadelphia
6.0
Eviction process difficulty
State law sets the calendar
7.5
Tenant organizing strength
Inherited from Philadelphia
7.5
Housing court bias
Inherited from Philadelphia
7.5
How University City compares
Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.
CDC Social Vulnerability Index
SVI percentile: 54
CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.
66%Socioeconomic
0%Household composition
65%Racial/ethnic minority
97%Housing & transportation
Historical context · 1930s redlining
HOLC grade: D: Hazardous (Redlined)
This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade D meant Black, immigrant, and poor neighborhoods systematically denied mortgage credit. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.
0%Grade A
0%Grade B
15%Grade C
21%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.
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
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
87Total filings 2020-21
1.1Avg monthly (observed)
1.7Pre-pandemic baseline
0.65×Ratio to baseline
Monthly filings 2020–20212020-01-01 to 2026-05-01
Pandemic filings ran far below baseline (moratorium effect). Eviction Lab tracked Palm Beach as part of its 34-metro Eviction Tracking System.
Comparable tracts
Census tracts with similar eviction risk
Within University City. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.
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 Philadelphia eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.
Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Philadelphia County average of 6.8 and above the Pennsylvania statewide average of 5.4. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.
The tract is White and Asian and ranks around the 54th 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.
During 2020 and 2021, eviction filings here ran at about 0.65x the pre-COVID monthly baseline, well below the pre-pandemic norm, the signature of an eviction moratorium at work.
For a landlord underwriting a deal here, treat timelines and legal costs as the real risk: Philadelphia eviction risk sits in territory where contested cases drag and tenant defenses are well organized, so airtight notices and screening matter more than usual.
Frequently asked
About tract 42101036902
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 42101036902?
Census tract 42101036902 in the University City neighborhood scores 7/10 (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 42101036902?
Median gross rent is $2,979/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 57% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3
What is the poverty rate in tract 42101036902?
46.9% of residents in tract 42101036902 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 6,267.
Q4
How socially vulnerable is tract 42101036902?
CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 54th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 66th, household 0th, minority 65th, housing 97th.
Q5
Is tract 42101036902 considered part of University City?
Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 42101036902 fall within University City (neighborhood centroid within 0.2 miles, OSM data).
Q6
Did eviction filings in tract 42101036902 drop during COVID?
Pandemic-era filings ran 0.65× the pre-COVID monthly baseline. Filings dropped sharply, likely a moratorium effect. Tracked by the Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Palm Beach), 2020-2021.
Q7
How does tract 42101036902 compare to Philadelphia overall?
Tract 42101036902 scores 7/10, higher than the parent city of Philadelphia at 5.5/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Philadelphia eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.
Q8
Was tract 42101036902 historically redlined?
Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of D. 21% 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 Philadelphia
Top eight tracts in Philadelphia ranked by composite eviction-risk score.