8 census tracts · pop 24,586 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.7/10
· range 3–6
Downer Avenue is a 8-tract neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI, population 24,586. It carries an Eviction Risk Score of 4.7/10, in the Moderate tier. Against a Milwaukee baseline of 30.5%, 49% of renters here cross the 30%-of-income line.
The 8 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 3 to 6, a 3-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. The severe-burden share is 29%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay.
Average gross rent is $1,361, 29% above the Milwaukee average of $1,059. The poverty rate is 23%. Judgments in high-poverty tracts are collectible far less often than the filing statistics suggest.
The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 2.8/10. Court records carry 1,243 eviction filings across its 8 observed tracts. The worst year on record was 2016, when filings touched 4.4% of renter households.
The most recent observed rate, 1.5% in 2017, is well off that peak. That places it #28 of 53 neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
Annual rent works out to 21% of average household income of $76,249. 64% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 3 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
4.7
Moderate
8 tracts · population-weighted
Downer Avenue vs MilwaukeeHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority36%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport61%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Downer Avenue
Aggregated across 8 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,243Total filings (sum)
1.22%Avg annual filing rate
4.4%Peak year (2016)
1.41%Latest filed (2017)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
530Total filings 2020-21
0.9Avg monthly observed
1.0Pre-pandemic baseline
1.05×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran near baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Milwaukee, WI).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Downer Avenue
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
9.4%Housing insecurity
5.6%Utility shutoff threat
12.9%Food insecurity
13.0%SNAP enrollment
7.1%No health insurance
26.8%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Downer Avenue
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Downer Avenue?
Downer Avenue scores 4.7/10 (Moderate tier) across 8 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 Downer Avenue compare to Milwaukee overall?
Downer Avenue scores 0.3 points higher than Milwaukee overall (4.4/10). Renters spend 49% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,361 vs $1,059.
Q3
What is the average rent in Downer Avenue?
Average gross rent in Downer Avenue is $1,361/month (pop-weighted across 8 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 49% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Downer Avenue residents are renters?
64% of Downer Avenue households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Milwaukee). The neighborhood has 24,586 residents.
Q5
Is Downer Avenue a high social-vulnerability area?
Downer Avenue sits in the 35th 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 Downer Avenue have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Downer Avenue is census tract 55079080400 (score 6/10). Across the 8 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 6, a spread of 3 points.
Q7
How safe is Downer Avenue for landlords?
Downer Avenue carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.7/10). Pop-weighted across 8 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Milwaukee as a whole (4.4/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Downer Avenue?
Downer Avenue has 24,430 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (77%), Black (non-Hispanic) (6.9%), Hispanic / Latino (5.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
