17 census tracts · pop 55,013 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.9/10
· range 3–5.1
Chinatown takes in 17 census tracts of Houston, TX, population 55,013. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 4.9/10, in the Moderate tier. 50% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, clearly above the Houston rate of 32.1%.
The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. 77% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over. The 17 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 3 to 5.1, a 2.1-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address.
The poverty rate is 27%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest. The severe-burden share is 19%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay.
Running cool is supply constraint, at 2.4/10. Average gross rent is $1,125, 17% below the Houston average of $1,361.
Court records carry 1,973 eviction filings across its 6 observed tracts. Well under the midpoint is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10.
Filing activity peaked in 2015 at 16.1% of renter households. Among the 397 mapped neighborhoods of Houston, it ranks #55 by risk, the upper third.
Judgments average 3.3% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 4.9 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
4.9
Moderate
17 tracts · population-weighted
Chinatown vs HoustonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority91%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport77%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Chinatown
Aggregated across 6 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,973Total filings (sum)
5.37%Avg annual filing rate
16.1%Peak year (2015)
5.65%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
6,280Total filings 2020-21
4.5Avg monthly observed
4.3Pre-pandemic baseline
1.57×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Houston, TX).
Frequently asked
About Chinatown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Chinatown?
Chinatown scores 4.9/10 (Moderate tier) across 17 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 Chinatown compare to Houston overall?
Chinatown scores 1.2 points higher than Houston overall (3.7/10). Renters spend 50% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,125 vs $1,361.
Q3
What is the average rent in Chinatown?
Average gross rent in Chinatown is $1,125/month (pop-weighted across 17 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 50% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Chinatown residents are renters?
77% of Chinatown households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 55,013 residents.
Q5
Is Chinatown a high social-vulnerability area?
Chinatown sits in the 89th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (highly 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 Chinatown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Chinatown is census tract 48201433003 (score 5.1/10). Across the 17 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 5.1, a spread of 2.1 points.
Q7
How safe is Chinatown for landlords?
Chinatown carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.9/10). Pop-weighted across 17 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 Chinatown?
Chinatown has 54,393 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (62.6%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (12.3%), Black (non-Hispanic) (12.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
