Neighborhood · Houston, TX

Fifth Ward Eviction Risk: Moderate

6 census tracts · pop 17,821 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.7/10 · range 4.9–6.3

Fifth Ward is a hispanic-black neighborhood in Houston with 6 census tracts and a population of 17,821 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. 51% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 23% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $996/month sits 27% lower than the Houston citywide average ($1,361).

Risk score

5.7

Moderate

6 tracts · population-weighted

Fifth Ward vs Houston How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

50.5% +57%

Houston: 32.1%

Average gross rent

$996 -27%

Houston: $1,361

Average HH income

$47,581 -24%

Houston: $62,894

Poverty rate

33.5% +70%

Houston: 19.7%

Renter share

58.7% +1%

Houston: 57.9%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Fifth Ward and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 6 tracts span score 4.9–6.3

Why Fifth Ward 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

51% 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

59% 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

33.5% below poverty line · Range 5.0–10.0 across tracts

7.5

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.0–3.3 across tracts

1.6

Risk score comparison

Fifth Ward vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Fifth Ward?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 1.4 points from 4.9 to 6.3. Moderate variation across constituent tracts.

Tracts as heat grid

6.3 6.2 6.1 5.9 5.5 4.9

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

Census tracts

6 tracts in Fifth Ward

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
48201211102	6.3	2,215	58%	$1,262
48201211101	6.2	3,240	48%	$984
48201211301	6.1	2,590	47%	$936
48201211600	5.9	2,945	52%	$932
48201211302	5.5	2,704	46%	$848
48201211400	4.9	4,127	52%	$1,041

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 92

Pop-weighted across 6 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 76%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 94%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 75%ile

Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Fifth Ward

Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

699Total filings (sum)
7.43%Avg annual filing rate
10.2%Peak year (2013)
7.36%Latest filed (2015)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

2,534Total filings 2020-21
5.7Avg monthly observed
6.2Pre-pandemic baseline
0.96×Ratio to baseline

Pandemic filings ran below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Houston, TX).

Frequently asked

About Fifth Ward

What is the eviction-risk score for Fifth Ward?

Fifth Ward scores 5.7/10 (Moderate tier) across 6 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 Fifth Ward compare to Houston overall?

Fifth Ward scores 2.9 points higher than Houston overall (2.8/10). Renters spend 51% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $996 vs $1,361.

What is the average rent in Fifth Ward?

Average gross rent in Fifth Ward is $996/month (pop-weighted across 6 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 51% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Fifth Ward residents are renters?

59% of Fifth Ward households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 17,821 residents.

Is Fifth Ward a high social-vulnerability area?

Fifth Ward sits in the 92nd 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 Fifth Ward have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Fifth Ward is census tract 48201211102 (score 6.3/10). Across the 6 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.9 to 6.3, a spread of 1.4 points.

How safe is Fifth Ward for landlords?

Fifth Ward carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.7/10). Pop-weighted across 6 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 Fifth Ward?

Fifth Ward has 17,480 residents (Hispanic-Black Neighborhood). Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (50%), Black (non-Hispanic) (38.8%), White (non-Hispanic) (7.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Fifth Ward

5.9 Kashmere Gardens 6 tracts · pop 15,643 5.8 Silverdale 3 tracts · pop 10,800 5.6 Second Ward 3 tracts · pop 9,755 4.8 East Downtown 2 tracts · pop 5,266 3.9 Downtown 2 tracts · pop 13,644 5.9 Pleasantville 3 tracts · pop 8,504

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Houston

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Fifth Ward.

5.7 Chinatown 17 tracts · pop 55,013 5.7 Cole Creek Manor 2 tracts · pop 7,962 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

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