2 census tracts · pop 11,465 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.5/10
· range 3.9–4.6
Helena is a 2-tract neighborhood of Tempe, AZ and houses 11,465 people. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 4.5/10, Moderate tier. about half of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, markedly above the Tempe rate of 31.3%.
79% of occupied units are rented, so comparables are plentiful and vacancy risk is low, but a mispriced renewal loses the tenant to a building two streets over. The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 2/10.
On the softer side is economic stress, at 2.4/10. The severe-burden share is 13%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. Filings are well documented here: 2,630 across 2 observed tracts.
The worst year on record was 2005, when filings touched 25.2% of renter households. Among the 14 mapped neighborhoods of Tempe, it ranks #5 by risk, the middle third. Judgments average 6.1% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
The closest comparables inside the same city are Campo Allegre Tract and The Lakes. Its 2 tracts score within 0.7 points of one another, so the area figure travels well to individual addresses. Average gross rent runs $1,659, close to the Tempe average.
Annual rent works out to 27% of average household income of $75,028.
With little internal variation, 4.5/10 is a fair proxy for any address inside the boundary. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.5
Moderate
2 tracts · population-weighted
Helena vs TempeHow 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 & transport62%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Helena
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
2,630Total filings (sum)
19.33%Avg annual filing rate
25.2%Peak year (2005)
20.77%Latest filed (2005)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Helena
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
11.9%Housing insecurity
6.8%Utility shutoff threat
14.3%Food insecurity
9.4%SNAP enrollment
10.4%No health insurance
24.4%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Helena
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Helena?
Helena scores 4.5/10 (Moderate tier) across 2 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 Helena compare to Tempe overall?
Helena scores 0.3 points higher than Tempe overall (4.2/10). Renters spend 50% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,659 vs $1,743.
Q3
What is the average rent in Helena?
Average gross rent in Helena is $1,659/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 50% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Helena residents are renters?
79% of Helena households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Tempe). The neighborhood has 11,465 residents.
Q5
Is Helena a high social-vulnerability area?
Helena sits in the 50th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately 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 Helena have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Helena is census tract 04013320001 (score 4.6/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3.9 to 4.6, a spread of 0.7 points.
Q7
How safe is Helena for landlords?
Helena carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.5/10). Pop-weighted across 2 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Tempe as a whole (4.2/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Helena?
Helena has 10,985 residents. Top groups: Hispanic / Latino (31.2%), White (non-Hispanic) (27.3%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (17.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
