1 census tracts · pop 4,871 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.9/10
· range 6.9–6.9
Downtown is a one-tract neighborhood of Kent, WA, population 4,871. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 6.9/10, Elevated tier. Cost burden runs 64% against 32.4% citywide, putting Downtown 31.8% over its own city.
30% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate. The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 8.5/10.
Well under the midpoint is economic stress, at 1.5/10. Court records for this tract carry 334 eviction filings.
Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 7.5/10. The worst year on record was 2007, when filings touched 11.9% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 2.7% in 2013, is well off that peak.
That places it #13 of 22 neighborhoods in Kent. The closest comparables inside the same city are Morning Sun and Shadowbrook Ridge. Social vulnerability runs high at 8/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
Poverty sits at 6%, low enough that arrears here usually reflect a specific shock rather than a structural income gap. Average gross rent runs $1,996, close to the Kent average.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 6.9/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
6.9
Elevated
1 tracts · population-weighted
Downtown vs KentHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority78%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport77%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Downtown
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
334Total filings (sum)
5.69%Avg annual filing rate
11.9%Peak year (2007)
2.71%Latest filed (2013)
Frequently asked
About Downtown
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downtown?
Downtown scores 6.9/10 (Elevated tier) across 1 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 Downtown compare to Kent overall?
Downtown scores 0.3 points higher than Kent overall (6.6/10). Renters spend 64% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $1,996 vs $1,909.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downtown?
Average gross rent in Downtown is $1,996/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 64% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downtown residents are renters?
38% of Downtown households are renter-occupied (vs 43% in Kent). The neighborhood has 4,871 residents.
Q5
Is Downtown a high social-vulnerability area?
Downtown sits in the 77th 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.
Q6
How safe is Downtown for landlords?
Downtown carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.9/10). Pop-weighted across 1 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Kent as a whole (6.6/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Downtown?
Downtown has 4,824 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (32.9%), Hispanic / Latino (21.1%), Black (non-Hispanic) (17.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.