1 census tracts · pop 2,661 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.8/10
· range 5.8–5.8
Smith Highlands is a one-tract neighborhood of Bessemer, AL, population 2,661. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.8/10, in the Moderate tier. Severe burden reaches 59%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.
Cost burden runs 64% against 32.1% citywide, putting Smith Highlands 32.3% over its own city. Annualized rent equals 40% of average household income here, past the 30% affordability line, which compresses the margin any screening standard has to work with. The main counterweight is eviction-process difficulty, at 1.3/10.
On the high side is tenant-organizing strength at 8.7/10. The poverty rate is 28%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment.
Sitting well above the midpoint is housing-court posture at 8.2/10. Food insecurity affects 33.3% of adults, 15.5 points above the national rate.
CDC survey data puts housing insecurity at 23.1% of adults, against 14.2% nationally. Court records for this tract carry 83 eviction filings. Filing activity peaked in 2016 at 21.3% of renter households.
Among the 7 mapped neighborhoods of Bessemer, it ranks #1 by risk, the upper third. Judgments average 3.6% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
One tract means one number: 5.8/10 applies directly to any address inside the boundary. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
5.8
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
Smith Highlands vs BessemerHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority92%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport29%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Smith Highlands
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
83Total filings (sum)
5.12%Avg annual filing rate
21.3%Peak year (2016)
21.31%Latest filed (2016)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Smith Highlands
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
23.1%Housing insecurity
17.5%Utility shutoff threat
33.3%Food insecurity
28.3%SNAP enrollment
11.6%No health insurance
43.2%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Smith Highlands
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Smith Highlands?
Smith Highlands scores 5.8/10 (Moderate 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 Smith Highlands compare to Bessemer overall?
Smith Highlands scores 1.4 points higher than Bessemer overall (4.4/10). Renters spend 64% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $946 vs $961.
Q3
What is the average rent in Smith Highlands?
Average gross rent in Smith Highlands is $946/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 64% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Smith Highlands residents are renters?
25% of Smith Highlands households are renter-occupied (vs 43% in Bessemer). The neighborhood has 2,661 residents.
Q5
Is Smith Highlands a high social-vulnerability area?
Smith Highlands sits in the 83rd 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 Smith Highlands for landlords?
Smith Highlands carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.8/10). 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 Bessemer as a whole (4.4/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Smith Highlands?
Smith Highlands has 2,416 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (79.2%), White (non-Hispanic) (12.2%), Hispanic / Latino (7.9%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
