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Neighborhood · Chesapeake, VA

Bells Mill Eviction Risk: Lower

2 census tracts · pop 10,171 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 1.7/10 · range 1.4–2

Bells Mill is a white (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Chesapeake with 2 census tracts and a population of 10,171 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 1.7/10 (Lower tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 36% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 31% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $1,913/month sits 21% higher than the Chesapeake citywide average ($1,586).

Risk score
1.7
Lower
2 tracts · population-weighted
Bells Mill vs Chesapeake How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
% of income on rent
36.4% +8%
Chesapeake: 33.8%
Average gross rent
$1,913 +21%
Chesapeake: $1,586
Average HH income
$122,914 +30%
Chesapeake: $94,189
Poverty rate
6.4% -26%
Chesapeake: 8.7%
Renter share
11.5% -55%
Chesapeake: 25.7%
Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Bells Mill and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 2 tracts span score 1.4–2

Why Bells Mill scores 1.7

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly
State political climate
legislature & governorship · Range 3.2–3.2 across tracts
3.2
Regional political climate
County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 5.3–5.3 across tracts
5.3
Local political climate
Parent city governance · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts
3.5
Rent control risk
36% of income on rent · Range 1.5–1.5 across tracts
1.5
Eviction process difficulty
State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts
3.5
Tenant organizing strength
12% renter households · Range 3.0–3.0 across tracts
3.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition · Range 3.5–3.5 across tracts
3.5
Economic stress
6.4% below poverty line · Range 1.6–1.6 across tracts
1.6
Supply constraint
Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 6.2–6.4 across tracts
6.3
Risk score comparison

Bells Mill vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Bells Mill score vs. parent city, state, U.S.Bells Mill: 1.71.7Bells MillNeighborhoodParent city: 3.63.6Parent cityhost cityState: 3.83.8Stateavg in stateU.S.: 4.74.7U.S.national avgU.S. avg = 5.0
Census tracts

2 tracts in Bells Mill

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

Tract Score Pop % over 30% on rent Average rent
51550021016 2 4,398 51% $1,891
51550021005 1.4 5,773 25% $1,929
Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 27

Pop-weighted across 2 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 15%ile
Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden
Household characteristics 47%ile
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority 55%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport 39%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Bells Mill

Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

  • 123Total filings (sum)
  • 9.47%Avg annual filing rate
  • 13.4%Peak year (2011)
  • 8.18%Latest filed (2016)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Bells Mill

Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.

Frequently asked

About Bells Mill

Q1

What is the eviction-risk score for Bells Mill?

Bells Mill scores 1.7/10 (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 Bells Mill compare to Chesapeake overall?

Bells Mill scores 1.9 points lower than Chesapeake overall (3.6/10). Renters spend 36% of income on rent vs 34% citywide. Average rent: $1,913 vs $1,586.
Q3

What is the average rent in Bells Mill?

Average gross rent in Bells Mill is $1,913/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 36% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4

What percentage of Bells Mill residents are renters?

12% of Bells Mill households are renter-occupied (vs 26% in Chesapeake). The neighborhood has 10,171 residents.
Q5

Is Bells Mill a high social-vulnerability area?

Bells Mill sits in the 27th 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 Bells Mill have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Bells Mill is census tract 51550021016 (score 2/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 1.4 to 2, a spread of 0.6 points.
Q7

How safe is Bells Mill for landlords?

Bells Mill carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (1.7/10). 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 Chesapeake as a whole (3.6/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q8

What is the demographic breakdown of Bells Mill?

Bells Mill has 9,868 residents (White (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (63.2%), Black (non-Hispanic) (16.4%), Hispanic / Latino (8.1%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Bells Mill

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Chesapeake

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Bells Mill.

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