Neighborhood · Houston, TX

Melrose Park Eviction Risk: Moderate

4 census tracts · pop 21,330 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.1/10 · range 5.1–5.1

Melrose Park takes in 4 census tracts of Houston, TX and houses 21,330 people. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 5.1/10, in the Moderate tier. 53% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, well clear of the Houston rate of 32.1%.

Severe burden reaches 30%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10.

The poverty rate is 26%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. Well under the midpoint is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10. Filings are well documented here: 291 across 2 observed tracts.

The worst year on record was 2013, when filings touched 11.5% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 3.7% in 2015, is well off that peak. Average gross rent is $1,273, 6% below the Houston average of $1,361.

That places it #1 of 397 neighborhoods in Houston. Social vulnerability runs high at 9/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.

The 4 tracts here are tightly clustered, 0 points apart at the extremes. Annual rent works out to 32% of average household income of $48,408. 41% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.

Risk score

5.1

Moderate

4 tracts · population-weighted

Melrose Park vs Houston How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

53.2% +66%

Houston: 32.1%

Average gross rent

$1,273 -6%

Houston: $1,361

Average HH income

$48,408 -23%

Houston: $62,894

Poverty rate

26.3% +34%

Houston: 19.7%

Renter share

41.1% -29%

Houston: 57.9%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Melrose Park and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 4 tracts span score 5.1–5.1

Why Melrose Park scores 5.1

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

53% 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

41% 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

26.3% below poverty line · Range 5.3–8.1 across tracts

6.6

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.8–5.5 across tracts

3.3

Risk score comparison

Melrose Park vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Melrose Park?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 0 points from 5.1 to 5.1. Tracts are relatively uniform, so conditions feel similar throughout the neighborhood.

Tracts as heat grid

5.1 5.1 5.1 5.1

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

Census tracts

4 tracts in Melrose Park

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
48201221501	5.1	5,636	53%	$1,149
48201221200	5.1	5,609	56%	$1,603
48201221701	5.1	5,488	51%	$1,254
48201221800	5.1	4,597	52%	$1,043

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 89

Pop-weighted across 4 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 94%ile

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

Household characteristics 84%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 93%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 61%ile

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

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Melrose Park

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

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

291Total filings (sum)
5.10%Avg annual filing rate
11.5%Peak year (2013)
3.78%Latest filed (2015)

Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)

397Total filings 2020-21
1.3Avg monthly observed
1.2Pre-pandemic baseline
1.08×Ratio to baseline

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

Frequently asked

About Melrose Park

What is the eviction-risk score for Melrose Park?

Melrose Park scores 5.1/10 (Moderate tier) across 4 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 Melrose Park compare to Houston overall?

Melrose Park scores 1.4 points higher than Houston overall (3.7/10). Renters spend 53% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,273 vs $1,361.

What is the average rent in Melrose Park?

Average gross rent in Melrose Park is $1,273/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Melrose Park residents are renters?

41% of Melrose Park households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 21,330 residents.

Is Melrose Park a high social-vulnerability area?

Melrose Park 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 Melrose Park have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Melrose Park is census tract 48201221501 (score 5.1/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.1 to 5.1, a spread of 0 points.

How safe is Melrose Park for landlords?

Melrose Park carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.1/10). Pop-weighted across 4 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.

What is the demographic breakdown of Melrose Park?

Melrose Park has 20,331 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (91%), White (non-Hispanic) (8.1%), Black (non-Hispanic) (0.5%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Melrose Park

5.3 Airline 4 tracts · pop 18,029 4.8 Hawthorne Place 6 tracts · pop 21,593 5.1 Highland Heights 5 tracts · pop 16,141 5.1 Calgary Woods 2 tracts · pop 6,937 4.4 Independence Heights 5 tracts · pop 13,363 3.6 Shepherd Park Plaza 3 tracts · pop 11,948

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Houston

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Melrose Park.

5.1 North Shadydale 6 tracts · pop 17,973 5.1 Windfern Trace 1 tracts · pop 3,246 5.1 Denver Harbor 1 tracts · pop 5,157 5.1 Alief 2 tracts · pop 12,500 5.1 Grand Vista Lakes 1 tracts · pop 10,676 5.1 East Houston 2 tracts · pop 9,729

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