Diverging Dynamics: The 2023 Displacement Risk Indicators Matrix (D.R.I.M.) Update for Newark

December 2025

Diverging Dynamics: The 2023 Displacement Risk Indicators Matrix (D.R.I.M.) Update for Newark explores how the risk of displacement in Newark has changed since 2010. Newark is experiencing the steady erosion of affordability as rents rise faster than incomes. In this latest installment of CLiME’s displacement analysis, diverging patterns of urban change are becoming clearer across wards with uneven but unmistakable signs of gentrification.

The East and Central Wards saw the most dramatic increases in new construction activity, the most rapidly rising rents, and the most pronounced increases in residents who are college-educated and/or affluent renters. The West Ward also shows signs of elevated renter vulnerability, with large increases in median household incomes alongside rising rent burdens. The North Ward has very different housing market dynamics, with large increases in homeownership and much less residential construction. The South Ward shows the greatest signs of tenant vulnerability but also has the most affordable rental stock, compared to other parts of the city.

The D.R.I.M. was designed as an assessment tool for policymakers, organizers, developers and the public to view the City and its five wards through select data condensed into variables that demonstrate risks associated with housing displacement. These risks are sometimes associated with typical gentrification but capture broader trends in housing affordability, demographic change and vulnerability to displacement. Using the D.R.I.M., policymakers can measure the potential impact of contemplated initiatives or proposed developments.

Read the D.R.I.M. 2023 Update below:

Diverging Dynamics: The 2023 Displacement Risk Indicators Matrix (D.R.I.M.) Update for Newark