Neighborhood · Grand Rapids, MI

Third Ward Eviction Risk: Lower

7 census tracts · pop 31,883 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.9/10 · range 3–5.7

Third Ward spans 7 census tracts of Grand Rapids, MI and houses 31,883 people. Scored across those inputs it reaches 3.9/10, placing it in the Lower tier. 43% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, markedly above the Grand Rapids rate of 29.6%.

Internally this is not one market. Tract scores span 3 to 5.7, so two buildings inside the same boundary can carry materially different risk. Severe burden reaches 24%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.

The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 2.1/10. Well under the midpoint is economic stress, at 2.3/10. At $1,364 a month, rents sit 8% over what the rest of Grand Rapids commands.

That places it #4 of 4 neighborhoods in Grand Rapids. Only 27% of units are renter-occupied. Rental comparables are thin here; price renewals off the nearest genuine rental sub-market rather than off surrounding sale prices. Rent takes 18% of average household income, comfortably inside the 30% line and unusually low for a rental sub-market.

For a specific building, read the per-tract breakdown below rather than the 3.9 headline, because the internal range is too wide to average safely. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.

Risk score

3.9

Lower

7 tracts · population-weighted

Third Ward vs Grand Rapids How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

42.5% +44%

Grand Rapids: 29.6%

Average gross rent

$1,364 +8%

Grand Rapids: $1,266

Average HH income

$92,421 +41%

Grand Rapids: $65,526

Poverty rate

9.3% -50%

Grand Rapids: 18.6%

Renter share

27.3% -41%

Grand Rapids: 46.0%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Third Ward and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 7 tracts span score 3–5.7

Why Third Ward scores 3.9

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 3.3–3.3 across tracts

3.3

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 5.3–5.3 across tracts

5.3

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 5.5–5.8 across tracts

5.6

Rent control risk

43% of income on rent · Range 1.5–5.1 across tracts

2.1

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 3.0–4.5 across tracts

4.2

Tenant organizing strength

27% renter households · Range 2.2–8.1 across tracts

4.4

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 3.4–5.0 across tracts

4.4

Economic stress

9.3% below poverty line · Range 1.1–4.4 across tracts

2.3

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 1.5–10.0 across tracts

4.3

Risk score comparison

Third Ward vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Third Ward?

Left: distribution of constituent tract scores. Right: every tract as a heat square. Click any square to drill in.

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 2.7 points from 3 to 5.7. This neighborhood crosses multiple risk tiers, so block-by-block conditions vary substantially.

Tracts as heat grid

5.7 4.6 4.2 3.9 3.7 3.4 3.0

Each square = one census tract. Color tracks the same green→red ramp as the chloropleth map above.

Census tracts

7 tracts in Third Ward

Ranked highest-risk first. Click for per-tract detail.

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
26081012611	5.7	2,144	41%	$1,088
26081004200	4.6	3,876	69%	$937
26081004501	4.2	4,776	54%	$1,761
26081004400	3.9	7,222	47%	$1,165
26081003400	3.7	5,013	47%	$988
26081004300	3.4	4,040	40%	$1,150
26081012500	3	4,812	0%	$2,307

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 29

Pop-weighted across 7 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 23%ile

Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden

Household characteristics 17%ile

Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+

Racial/ethnic minority 43%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 55%ile

Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Third Ward

Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.

9.1%Housing insecurity
6.3%Utility shutoff threat
10.7%Food insecurity
8.7%SNAP enrollment
5.4%No health insurance
25.3%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Third Ward

What is the eviction-risk score for Third Ward?

Third Ward scores 3.9/10 (Lower tier) across 7 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.

How does Third Ward compare to Grand Rapids overall?

Third Ward scores 0.1 points lower than Grand Rapids overall (4/10). Renters spend 43% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,364 vs $1,266.

What is the average rent in Third Ward?

Average gross rent in Third Ward is $1,364/month (pop-weighted across 7 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 43% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Third Ward residents are renters?

27% of Third Ward households are renter-occupied (vs 46% in Grand Rapids). The neighborhood has 31,883 residents.

Is Third Ward a high social-vulnerability area?

Third Ward sits in the 29th 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.

Which tracts in Third Ward have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Third Ward is census tract 26081012611 (score 5.7/10). Across the 7 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 3 to 5.7, a spread of 2.7 points.

How safe is Third Ward for landlords?

Third Ward carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.9/10). Pop-weighted across 7 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Grand Rapids as a whole (4/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.

What is the demographic breakdown of Third Ward?

Third Ward has 30,916 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (70%), Black (non-Hispanic) (14.1%), Hispanic / Latino (6.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Third Ward

4.6 Godwin Heights 7 tracts · pop 34,448 4.9 Heritage Hill Historic District 13 tracts · pop 42,852 3.9 Grand Rapids Charter Township 3 tracts · pop 17,197 4.4 Cutlerville 4 tracts · pop 19,266 4.9 Comstock Park 4 tracts · pop 10,958 3.9 Northview 2 tracts · pop 8,760

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Grand Rapids

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Third Ward.

3.7 Grand Rapids Charter Township 3 tracts · pop 17,197 4.9 Heritage Hill Historic District 13 tracts · pop 42,852 5.2 Comstock Park 4 tracts · pop 10,958

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