7 census tracts · pop 17,141 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.2/10
· range 3–5.1
Central City takes in 7 census tracts of Houston, TX and houses 17,141 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.2/10, in the Moderate tier. Cost burden runs 48% against 32.1% citywide, putting Central City 16.0% over its own city.
The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. This is a renter market: 82% of occupied units are tenant-occupied.
Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 3 to 5.1, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk. Severe burden reaches 21%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.
On the softer side is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10. The poverty rate is 19%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment.
The filing record is not thin: 116 evictions logged in this tract. Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 2.9% of renter households.
Average gross rent is $1,503, 10% above the Houston average of $1,361. The most recent observed rate, 0.9% in 2015, is well off that peak.
Among the 397 mapped neighborhoods of Houston, it ranks #121 by risk, the upper third. The closest comparables inside the same city are Gulf Palms and Royal Oaks Country Club.
Annual rent works out to 28% of average household income of $64,380.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 4.2 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
4.2
Moderate
7 tracts · population-weighted
Central City vs HoustonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority75%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport72%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Central City
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
116Total filings (sum)
1.33%Avg annual filing rate
2.9%Peak year (2010)
0.86%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
2,480Total filings 2020-21
4.7Avg monthly observed
2.6Pre-pandemic baseline
8.27×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Houston, TX).
Frequently asked
About Central City
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Central City?
Central City scores 4.2/10 (Moderate tier) across 7 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 Central City compare to Houston overall?
Central City scores 0.5 points higher than Houston overall (3.7/10). Renters spend 48% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,503 vs $1,361.
Q3
What is the average rent in Central City?
Average gross rent in Central City is $1,503/month (pop-weighted across 7 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 48% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Central City residents are renters?
82% of Central City households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 17,141 residents.
Q5
Is Central City a high social-vulnerability area?
Central City sits in the 39th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (less 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 Central City have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Central City is census tract 48201314005 (score 5.1/10). Across the 7 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 5.1, a spread of 2.1 points.
Q7
How safe is Central City for landlords?
Central City carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.2/10). Pop-weighted across 7 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Houston as a whole (3.7/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Central City?
Central City has 17,565 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (35%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (24%), Black (non-Hispanic) (22.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
