4 census tracts · pop 16,613 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 8.5/10
· range 7.4–9.3
Rainier Beach takes in 4 census tracts of Seattle, WA, population 16,613. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 8.5/10, in the High tier. Against a Seattle baseline of 27.4%, 53% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
What pushes the score up most is tenant-organizing strength at 9.1/10. Severe burden reaches 28%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 8.7/10.
Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 7.4 to 9.3, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk. On the high side is eviction-process difficulty at 8.2/10. Filings are well documented here: 124 across 2 observed tracts.
Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 3.7% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 1.9% in 2013, is well off that peak. Among the 65 mapped neighborhoods of Seattle, it ranks #15 by risk, the upper third.
Social vulnerability runs high at 7.7/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input. Average gross rent runs $2,073, close to the Seattle average. Annual rent works out to 26% of average household income of $97,551.
For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 8.5 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
8.5
High
4 tracts · population-weighted
Rainier Beach vs SeattleHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority82%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport66%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Rainier Beach
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
124Total filings (sum)
2.15%Avg annual filing rate
3.7%Peak year (2010)
2.03%Latest filed (2013)
Frequently asked
About Rainier Beach
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Rainier Beach?
Rainier Beach scores 8.5/10 (High 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 Rainier Beach compare to Seattle overall?
Rainier Beach scores 0.6 points higher than Seattle overall (7.9/10). Renters spend 53% of income on rent vs 27% citywide. Average rent: $2,073 vs $2,030.
Q3
What is the average rent in Rainier Beach?
Average gross rent in Rainier Beach is $2,073/month (pop-weighted across 4 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Rainier Beach residents are renters?
37% of Rainier Beach households are renter-occupied (vs 56% in Seattle). The neighborhood has 16,613 residents.
Q5
Is Rainier Beach a high social-vulnerability area?
Rainier Beach sits in the 75th 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
Which tracts in Rainier Beach have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Rainier Beach is census tract 53033011802 (score 9.3/10). Across the 4 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 7.4 to 9.3, a spread of 1.9 points.
Q7
How safe is Rainier Beach for landlords?
Rainier Beach carries a high-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (8.5/10). 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 Seattle as a whole (7.9/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Rainier Beach?
Rainier Beach has 16,834 residents. Top groups: Asian (non-Hispanic) (34.1%), White (non-Hispanic) (23.2%), Black (non-Hispanic) (21.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
