3 census tracts · pop 18,067 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.3/10
· range 3.2–5.2
Lawson Forest takes in 3 census tracts of Virginia Beach, VA and houses 18,067 people. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 4.3/10, Moderate tier. 48% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, well above the Virginia Beach rate of 32.2%.
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. Scores across the 3 constituent tracts range from 3.2 to 5.2. A 2-point internal spread means block-level underwriting beats area-level here.
The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 2/10. Filings are well documented here: 725 across 2 observed tracts. The poverty rate is 16%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
Filing activity peaked in 2016 at 62.6% of renter households. At $1,593 a month, rents sit 7% under what the rest of Virginia Beach commands. Among the 53 mapped neighborhoods of Virginia Beach, it ranks #13 by risk, the upper third.
Judgments average 6.6% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order. The closest comparables inside the same city are Thalia Manor and Green Run. Annual rent works out to 27% of average household income of $71,650.
45% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 4.3 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
4.3
Moderate
3 tracts · population-weighted
Lawson Forest vs Virginia BeachHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority72%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport60%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Lawson Forest
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
725Total filings (sum)
30.52%Avg annual filing rate
62.6%Peak year (2016)
30.52%Latest filed (2016)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Lawson Forest
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
16.3%Housing insecurity
11.2%Utility shutoff threat
20.3%Food insecurity
18.3%SNAP enrollment
10.5%No health insurance
32.4%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Lawson Forest
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Lawson Forest?
Lawson Forest scores 4.3/10 (Moderate tier) across 3 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 Lawson Forest compare to Virginia Beach overall?
Lawson Forest scores 0.5 points higher than Virginia Beach overall (3.8/10). Renters spend 48% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,593 vs $1,714.
Q3
What is the average rent in Lawson Forest?
Average gross rent in Lawson Forest is $1,593/month (pop-weighted across 3 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 48% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Lawson Forest residents are renters?
45% of Lawson Forest households are renter-occupied (vs 35% in Virginia Beach). The neighborhood has 18,067 residents.
Q5
Is Lawson Forest a high social-vulnerability area?
Lawson Forest sits in the 60th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately 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 Lawson Forest have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Lawson Forest is census tract 51810040200 (score 5.2/10). Across the 3 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.2 to 5.2, a spread of 2 points.
Q7
How safe is Lawson Forest for landlords?
Lawson Forest carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.3/10). Pop-weighted across 3 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Virginia Beach as a whole (3.8/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Lawson Forest?
Lawson Forest has 17,866 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (40.3%), Black (non-Hispanic) (38.5%), Hispanic / Latino (8.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
