1 census tracts · pop 3,618 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3/10
· range 3–3
Highlands maps to a single census tract in Wilmington, DE, population 3,618. Scored across those inputs it reaches 3/10, placing it in the Lower tier. Cost burden runs 13% against 31.0% citywide, putting Highlands 17.8% under its own city.
At $1,865 a month, rents sit 52% over what the rest of Wilmington commands. The main counterweight is economic stress, at 1/10. SNAP participation is 3.1% of households versus 15.2% nationally.
Court records for this tract carry 46 eviction filings. On the softer side is rent-regulation exposure, at 3/10. 9% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
3.6% of adults carry no health insurance against 11.3% nationally, a common route into sudden unpayable debt. The worst year on record was 2010, when filings touched 4.0% of renter households.
Recent filings have not receded much: 3.2% in 2018 against a 4.0% peak. Among the 20 mapped neighborhoods of Wilmington, it ranks #20 by risk, the lower third.
At 13% renter-occupied, this is predominantly owner territory, and rental comps have to be drawn from further out. The closest comparables inside the same city are Trolley Square and Brandywine Village.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 3/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
3
Lower
1 tracts · population-weighted
Highlands vs WilmingtonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority25%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport16%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Highlands
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
46Total filings (sum)
2.11%Avg annual filing rate
4.0%Peak year (2010)
3.20%Latest filed (2018)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
52Total filings 2020-21
0.7Avg monthly observed
0.7Pre-pandemic baseline
0.91×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran below baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Tampa, FL).
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Highlands
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
4.3%Housing insecurity
2.9%Utility shutoff threat
4.3%Food insecurity
3.1%SNAP enrollment
3.6%No health insurance
21.6%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Highlands
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Highlands?
Highlands scores 3/10 (Lower 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 Highlands compare to Wilmington overall?
Highlands scores 1.4 points lower than Wilmington overall (4.4/10). Renters spend 13% of income on rent vs 31% citywide. Average rent: $1,865 vs $1,224.
Q3
What is the average rent in Highlands?
Average gross rent in Highlands is $1,865/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 13% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Highlands residents are renters?
13% of Highlands households are renter-occupied (vs 52% in Wilmington). The neighborhood has 3,618 residents.
Q5
Is Highlands a high social-vulnerability area?
Highlands sits in the 5th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is Highlands for landlords?
Highlands carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3/10). 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 Wilmington as a whole (4.4/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Highlands?
Highlands has 3,763 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (86.7%), Other / Multiracial (9.5%), Hispanic / Latino (3.5%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
