Neighborhood · Ranked #16,850 of 84,120 nationally

South Lake Union Eviction Risk: Moderate , Seattle

Tract 53033007501 · King County, WA · pop 3,924 · neighborhood within 1.0 mi

The Elevated-tier score of 6.2/10 for census tract 53033007501 reflects conditions in the South Lake Union area of Seattle, Washington. It lands near the 79th percentile nationally for landlord eviction risk.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 48% of renter households, a severe level, and 24% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,680 monthly, set against $72,542 in average yearly household income, roughly 28% of income at the averages. About 84% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

5.6

Moderate

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 40% Stable renters 44% Owners 16%

Tract context

Occupied units2,859

Renter share83.9%

SVI overall0.33

Poverty rate10.4%

Median income$72,542

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Seattle and the region

Centroid at 47.6221, -122.3168 · click any tract to drill in

Why South Lake Union scores 5.6

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Seattle

9.5

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

7.6

State political climate

Washington legislature & governorship

6.0

Economic stress

10.4% poverty · this tract

2.6

Supply constraint

$1,680 rent vs county FMR

1.3

Rent control risk

Inherited from Seattle

9.0

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

8.5

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Seattle

9.0

Housing court bias

Inherited from Seattle

8.5

How South Lake Union compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 33

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

42%Socioeconomic
4%Household composition
50%Racial/ethnic minority
63%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
0%Grade B
100%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 South Lake Union. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in South Lake Union

The score leans hardest on rent-control risk 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 Seattle eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the King County average of 5.5 and above the Washington statewide average of 5.2. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

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.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 33rd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a relatively low-vulnerability reading.

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 53033007501

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 53033007501?

Census tract 53033007501 in the South Lake Union neighborhood scores 5.6/10 (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 53033007501?

Median gross rent is $1,680/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 48% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 53033007501?

10.4% of residents in tract 53033007501 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 3,924.

How socially vulnerable is tract 53033007501?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 33th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 42th, household 4th, minority 50th, housing 63th.

Is tract 53033007501 considered part of South Lake Union?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 53033007501 fall within South Lake Union (neighborhood centroid within 1.0 miles, OSM data).

How does tract 53033007501 compare to Seattle overall?

Tract 53033007501 scores 5.6/10, lower than the parent city of Seattle at 7.9/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Seattle eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 53033007501 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 Seattle

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