2 census tracts · pop 13,644 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.6/10
· range 3–4.9
Downtown is a 2-tract suburb of Houston, TX, population 13,644. Scored across those inputs it reaches 3.6/10, placing it in the Lower tier. Annualized rent equals 90% of average household income here, past the 30% affordability line, which compresses the margin any screening standard has to work with.
Cost burden runs 17% against 32.1% citywide, putting Downtown 15.0% under its own city. Pulling the other way is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. This is a renter market: 69% of occupied units are tenant-occupied.
Scores across the 2 constituent tracts range from 3 to 4.9. A 1.9-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here. On the softer side is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10.
The filing record is not thin: 263 evictions logged in this tract. Average gross rent is $1,574, 16% above the Houston average of $1,361.
Running cool is economic stress, at 2.6/10. The severe-burden share is 8%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay.
Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 4.8% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 4.4% in 2015 against a 4.8% peak.
That places it #176 of 397 neighborhoods in Houston.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 3.6 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
3.6
Lower
2 tracts · population-weighted
Downtown vs HoustonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority87%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport44%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Downtown
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
263Total filings (sum)
3.75%Avg annual filing rate
4.8%Peak year (2010)
4.40%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
1,233Total filings 2020-21
6.8Avg monthly observed
1.5Pre-pandemic baseline
8.59×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran above baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Houston, TX).
Frequently asked
About Downtown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downtown?
Downtown scores 3.6/10 (Lower tier) across 2 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 compare to Houston overall?
Downtown scores 0.1 points lower than Houston overall (3.7/10). Renters spend 17% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,574 vs $1,361.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downtown?
Average gross rent in Downtown is $1,574/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 17% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downtown residents are renters?
69% of Downtown households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 13,644 residents.
Q5
Is Downtown a high social-vulnerability area?
Downtown sits in the 35th 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 Downtown have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Downtown is census tract 48201212300 (score 4.9/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 4.9, a spread of 1.9 points.
Q7
How safe is Downtown for landlords?
Downtown carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.6/10). Pop-weighted across 2 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 in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Downtown?
Downtown has 14,466 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (43.6%), Black (non-Hispanic) (35.3%), White (non-Hispanic) (17.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
