2 census tracts · pop 10,171 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3/10
· range 3–3.1
Bells Mill is a 2-tract neighborhood of Chesapeake, VA, population 10,171. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 3/10, Lower tier. The severe-burden share is 31%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay.
The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1.5/10. Running cool is economic stress, at 1.6/10. At $1,913 a month, rents sit 21% over what the rest of Chesapeake commands.
The filing record is not thin: 123 evictions logged in this tract. The voucher gap is 12.8%: households holding assistance that local rents will not absorb, which shows up as churn rather than arrears. The worst year on record was 2011, when filings touched 13.4% of renter households.
On the softer side is tenant-organizing strength, at 3/10. Rent consumes at least 30% of income for 36% of renter households. Recent filings have not receded much: 8.2% in 2016 against a 13.4% peak.
Among the 48 mapped neighborhoods of Chesapeake, it ranks #29 by risk, the middle third. At 12% renter-occupied, this is predominantly owner territory, and rental comps have to be drawn from further out. Rent takes 19% of average household income, comfortably inside the 30% line and unusually low for a rental sub-market.
With little internal variation, 3/10 is a fair proxy for any address inside the boundary. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
3
Lower
2 tracts · population-weighted
Bells Mill vs ChesapeakeHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority55%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport39%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.
9.6%Housing insecurity
6.2%Utility shutoff threat
10.7%Food insecurity
8.0%SNAP enrollment
7.5%No health insurance
28.3%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Bells Mill
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Bells Mill?
Bells Mill scores 3/10 (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 0.4 points lower than Chesapeake overall (3.4/10). 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 3.1/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 3.1, a spread of 0.1 points.
Q7
How safe is Bells Mill for landlords?
Bells Mill carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3/10). 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 (3.4/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Bells Mill?
Bells Mill has 9,868 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (63.2%), Black (non-Hispanic) (16.4%), Hispanic / Latino (8.1%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
