Neighborhood · Ranked #41,065 of 84,120 nationally

Third Ward Eviction Risk: Moderate , Grand Rapids

Tract 26081004501 · Kent County, MI · pop 4,776 · neighborhood within 1.1 mi

The Third Ward area of Grand Rapids anchors census tract 26081004501, which lands at $1/10 on landlord eviction risk. That is riskier than about 75% of US census tracts.

About 54% of renters carry a rent burden of 30% of income or higher, a severe level, and 54% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,761 monthly, set against $82,500 in average yearly household income, roughly 26% of income at the averages. About 32% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Risk score

Moderate

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 17% Stable renters 14% Owners 69%

Tract context

Occupied units1,646

Renter share31.5%

SVI overall0.47

Poverty rate11.6%

Median income$82,500

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Grand Rapids and the region

Centroid at 42.9045, -85.6182 · click any tract to drill in

Why Third Ward scores 4

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Grand Rapids

5.5

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.3

State political climate

Michigan legislature & governorship

3.3

Economic stress

11.6% poverty · this tract

2.9

Supply constraint

$1,761 rent vs county FMR

7.2

Rent control risk

Inherited from Grand Rapids

1.5

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

4.5

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Grand Rapids

4.5

Housing court bias

Inherited from Grand Rapids

4.5

How Third Ward compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 47

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

24%Socioeconomic
39%Household composition
73%Racial/ethnic minority
73%Housing & transportation

Historical context · 1930s redlining

HOLC grade: C: Definitely Declining

This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade C meant mixed-race / working-class neighborhoods rated as risky. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.

0%Grade A
0%Grade B
0%Grade C
0%Grade D · redlined

Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), 1935-1940 HOLC residential security maps, aggregated to 2020 census tracts by area share. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within Third Ward. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

CDC PLACES 2023 · health & economic stress

Eviction-adjacent indicators

Crude prevalence of conditions linked to housing loss. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh), 2023 model-based small-area estimates.

10.4%Housing insecurity
7.2%Utility-shutoff threat
12.6%Food insecurity
10.6%SNAP enrollment
7.0%Transit barriers
6.3%No health insurance
14.5%Frequent mental distress
28.6%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Third Ward

The heaviest input here is supply constraint at 7.2/10. That part is specific to this tract, computed from its own rent, income, and poverty figures. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Grand Rapids eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores about the same as the Kent County average of 5.7 and in line with the Michigan statewide average of 5.7. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

HOLC surveyors mapped this tract in the 1930s with a dominant grade of C ("Declining"), above the redlined D tier. The grading still shaped decades of lending and development in the surrounding area.

In CDC survey modeling, about 10.4% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 7.2% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

For a landlord, this is a tract where process discipline pays off. Clean paperwork and steady screening keep the elevated risk manageable.

Frequently asked

About tract 26081004501

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 26081004501?

Census tract 26081004501 in the Third Ward neighborhood scores 4/10 (Moderate tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 26081004501?

Median gross rent is $1,761/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 54% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 26081004501?

11.6% of residents in tract 26081004501 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,776.

How socially vulnerable is tract 26081004501?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 47th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 24th, household 39th, minority 73th, housing 73th.

Is tract 26081004501 considered part of Third Ward?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 26081004501 fall within Third Ward (neighborhood centroid within 1.1 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 26081004501 struggle to pay rent?

About 10.4% of adults in this tract reported housing insecurity (could not pay rent or mortgage in the past 12 months), per the CDC PLACES 2023 model-based small-area estimate. 7.2% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 26081004501 compare to Grand Rapids overall?

Tract 26081004501 scores 4/10, higher than the parent city of Grand Rapids at 3.5/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Grand Rapids eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Was tract 26081004501 historically redlined?

Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of C. 0% of the tract's area was rated D ("Hazardous"), the redlined tier. HOLC redlining systematically denied mortgage credit to Black, immigrant, and working-class neighborhoods and remains a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings, rent burden, and homeownership gaps. Source: Mapping Inequality (americanpanorama.org), Robert K. Nelson et al.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Grand Rapids

Top eight tracts in Grand Rapids ranked by composite eviction-risk score.