Neighborhood · Houston, TX

Chinatown Eviction Risk: Moderate

17 census tracts · pop 55,013 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.7/10 · range 3.9–6.2

Chinatown is a hispanic / latino neighborhood in Houston with 17 census tracts and a population of 55,013 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 5.7/10 (Moderate tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 50% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 19% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $1,125/month sits 17% lower than the Houston citywide average ($1,361).

Risk score

5.7

Moderate

17 tracts · population-weighted

Chinatown vs Houston How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

49.6% +55%

Houston: 32.1%

Average gross rent

$1,125 -17%

Houston: $1,361

Average HH income

$48,941 -22%

Houston: $62,894

Poverty rate

27.0% +37%

Houston: 19.7%

Renter share

77.4% +34%

Houston: 57.9%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Chinatown and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 17 tracts span score 3.9–6.2

Why Chinatown scores 5.7

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 1.5–1.5 across tracts

1.5

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 5.7–5.7 across tracts

5.7

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 5.5–5.5 across tracts

5.5

Rent control risk

50% of income on rent · Range 1.0–1.0 across tracts

1.0

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts

3.5

Tenant organizing strength

77% renter households · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts

3.5

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 2.5–2.5 across tracts

2.5

Economic stress

27.0% below poverty line · Range 2.7–10.0 across tracts

6.7

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.0–5.2 across tracts

2.4

Risk score comparison

Chinatown vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Chinatown?

Left: distribution of constituent tract scores. Right: every tract as a heat square. Click any square to drill in.

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 2.3 points from 3.9 to 6.2. This neighborhood crosses multiple risk tiers, so block-by-block conditions vary substantially.

Tracts as heat grid

6.2 6.2 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.0 6.0 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.5 5.4 3.9

Each square = one census tract. Color tracks the same green→red ramp as the chloropleth map above.

Census tracts

17 tracts in Chinatown

Ranked highest-risk first. Click for per-tract detail.

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
48201432901	6.2	3,578	64%	$1,102
48201432501	6.2	3,200	59%	$1,158
48201433004	6.2	2,322	50%	$903
48201433100	6.1	3,307	59%	$1,052
48201432402	6.1	2,821	60%	$1,143
48201432301	6	3,614	60%	$1,216
48201433005	6	2,068	29%	$919
48201433003	5.9	5,634	35%	$976
48201433006	5.9	2,212	61%	$986
48201432302	5.9	1,948	43%	$1,240
48201432401	5.7	4,411	56%	$1,160
48201432903	5.7	1,959	50%	$975
48201433007	5.6	1,595	46%	$980
48201433201	5.5	4,241	53%	$1,046
48201433202	5.5	3,573	59%	$1,153
48201432904	5.4	3,688	41%	$1,184
48201433300	3.9	4,842	28%	$1,560

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 89

Pop-weighted across 17 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 93%ile

Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden

Household characteristics 58%ile

Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+

Racial/ethnic minority 91%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 77%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

What is the eviction-risk score for Chinatown?

Chinatown scores 5.7/10 (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.

How does Chinatown compare to Houston overall?

Chinatown scores 2.9 points higher than Houston overall (2.8/10). Renters spend 50% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,125 vs $1,361.

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.

What percentage of Chinatown residents are renters?

77% of Chinatown households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 55,013 residents.

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.

Which tracts in Chinatown have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Chinatown is census tract 48201432901 (score 6.2/10). Across the 17 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.9 to 6.2, a spread of 2.3 points.

How safe is Chinatown for landlords?

Chinatown carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.7/10). 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 (2.8/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.

What is the demographic breakdown of Chinatown?

Chinatown has 54,393 residents (Hispanic / Latino Neighborhood). Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (62.6%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (12.3%), Black (non-Hispanic) (12.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Chinatown

5 Little Saigon 4 tracts · pop 12,310 4.8 Walnut Bend 5 tracts · pop 15,476 4.7 Royal Oaks Country Club 4 tracts · pop 13,395 5.9 Mahatma Gandhi District 21 tracts · pop 70,070 5.4 Sharpstown 4 tracts · pop 15,970 5.5 Bellaire West 5 tracts · pop 21,566

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Houston

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Chinatown.

5.7 McKendree Park 1 tracts · pop 5,145 5.7 Windfern Trace 1 tracts · pop 3,246 5.7 Keegans Glen 3 tracts · pop 12,195 5.7 Wayside Village 3 tracts · pop 14,375 5.7 Cole Creek Manor 2 tracts · pop 7,962 5.7 Fifth Ward 6 tracts · pop 17,821

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