4 census tracts · pop 13,155 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.3/10
· range 4.6–7.4
West Kelso is a 4-tract suburb of Longview, WA and houses 13,155 people. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 6.3/10, in the Elevated tier. Against a Longview baseline of 33.5%, 61% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
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 4 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 4.6 to 7.4, a 2.8-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 8.9/10.
Running cool is supply constraint, at 2.2/10. Filings are well documented here: 661 across 3 observed tracts.
The worst year on record was 2015, when filings touched 6.6% of renter households. At $1,012 a month, rents sit 11% under what the rest of Longview commands.
The most recent observed rate, 2.9% in 2018, is well off that peak. For a like-for-like read, West Longview and Columbia Valley Gardens score within a fraction of it.
Rent takes 20% of average household income, comfortably inside the 30% line and unusually low for a rental sub-market. 58% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 6.3 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
6.3
Elevated
4 tracts · population-weighted
West Kelso vs LongviewHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority25%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport64%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in West Kelso
Aggregated across 3 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
661Total filings (sum)
1.76%Avg annual filing rate
6.6%Peak year (2015)
1.90%Latest filed (2018)
Frequently asked
About West Kelso
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for West Kelso?
West Kelso scores 6.3/10 (Elevated 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.
Q2
How does West Kelso compare to Longview overall?
West Kelso scores 0.3 points higher than Longview overall (6/10). Renters spend 61% of income on rent vs 34% citywide. Average rent: $1,012 vs $1,137.
Q3
What is the average rent in West Kelso?
Average gross rent in West Kelso is $1,012/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 61% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of West Kelso residents are renters?
58% of West Kelso households are renter-occupied (vs 45% in Longview). The neighborhood has 13,155 residents.
Q5
Is West Kelso a high social-vulnerability area?
West Kelso sits in the 64th 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 West Kelso have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in West Kelso is census tract 53015002100 (score 7.4/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.6 to 7.4, a spread of 2.8 points.
Q7
How safe is West Kelso for landlords?
West Kelso carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.3/10). 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 Longview as a whole (6/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of West Kelso?
West Kelso has 13,354 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (84.4%), Hispanic / Latino (8.4%), Other / Multiracial (4.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
