8 census tracts · pop 26,258 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.6/10
· range 3–4.8
Downtown Knoxville spans 8 census tracts of Knoxville, TN, population 26,258. Scored across those inputs it reaches 4.6/10, placing it in the Moderate tier. 43% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
Set annual rent against average household income of $22,587 and the ratio lands at 59%, above the conventional 30% ceiling. Against a Knoxville baseline of 31.9%, 57% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
The poverty rate is 54%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest. This is a renter market: 90% of occupied units are tenant-occupied.
The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. On the high side is economic stress at 8.8/10. Scores across the 8 constituent tracts range from 3 to 4.8. A 1.8-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here.
Well under the midpoint is eviction-process difficulty, at 2/10. At $1,113 a month, rents sit 7% under what the rest of Knoxville commands.
Among the 60 mapped neighborhoods of Knoxville, it ranks #15 by risk, the upper third. The closest comparables inside the same city are Arlington and Deep Creek.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.8 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.6
Moderate
8 tracts · population-weighted
Downtown Knoxville vs KnoxvilleHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority38%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport74%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Frequently asked
About Downtown Knoxville
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downtown Knoxville?
Downtown Knoxville scores 4.6/10 (Moderate tier) across 8 census tracts. The pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income and poverty signals.
Q2
How does Downtown Knoxville compare to Knoxville overall?
Downtown Knoxville scores 1.2 points higher than Knoxville overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 57% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,113 vs $1,191.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downtown Knoxville?
Average gross rent in Downtown Knoxville eviction risk is $1,113/month (pop-weighted across 8 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 57% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downtown Knoxville residents are renters?
90% of Downtown Knoxville households are renter-occupied (vs 53% in Knoxville). The neighborhood has 26,258 residents.
Q5
Is Downtown Knoxville a high social-vulnerability area?
Downtown Knoxville sits in the 50th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
Which tracts in Downtown Knoxville have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Downtown Knoxville is census tract 47093006800 (score 4.8/10). Across the 8 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 4.8, a spread of 1.8 points.
Q7
How safe is Downtown Knoxville for landlords?
Downtown Knoxville eviction risk carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.6/10). Pop-weighted across 8 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Knoxville as a whole (3.4/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Downtown Knoxville?
Downtown Knoxville has 26,840 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (74.6%), Black (non-Hispanic) (15.4%), Other / Multiracial (4.3%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
