Census Tract · Ranked #24,926 of 84,120 nationally

Grand Rapids Eviction Risk: Moderate

Tract 26081001000 · Kent County, MI · pop 4,644

With a score of 6.1/10, tract 26081001000 in Grand Rapids ranks in the Elevated tier for landlord eviction risk. The tract is home to 4,644 residents. That is riskier than roughly 78% of the 84,120 US census tracts we score.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 50% of renter households, a severe level, and 27% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $1,116 a month while the average household earns $71,731 a year, roughly 19% of income at the averages. Renters make up 40% of occupied homes.

Risk score

Moderate

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 20% Stable renters 20% Owners 60%

Tract context

Occupied units1,734

Renter share39.8%

SVI overall0.69

Poverty rate23.3%

Median income$71,731

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Grand Rapids and the region

Centroid at 42.9919, -85.6491 · click any tract to drill in

Why Grand Rapids scores 5

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

23.3% poverty · this tract

5.8

Supply constraint

$1,116 rent vs county FMR

2.7

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 Grand Rapids compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 69

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

59%Socioeconomic
58%Household composition
62%Racial/ethnic minority
76%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
78%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

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.

16.1%Housing insecurity
11.9%Utility-shutoff threat
20.7%Food insecurity
20.4%SNAP enrollment
11.4%Transit barriers
9.1%No health insurance
20.4%Frequent mental distress
31.9%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Grand Rapids

What moves this score most is economic stress at 5.8/10. 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 above the Kent County average of 5.7 and above the Michigan statewide average of 5.7. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

The tract is racially mixed and ranks around the 69th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

In CDC survey modeling, about 16.1% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 11.9% 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 26081001000

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 26081001000?

Census tract 26081001000 in Grand Rapids scores 5/10 (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 26081001000?

Median gross rent is $1,116/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 50% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 26081001000?

23.3% of residents in tract 26081001000 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,644.

How socially vulnerable is tract 26081001000?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 69th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 59th, household 58th, minority 62th, housing 76th.

What share of households in tract 26081001000 struggle to pay rent?

About 16.1% 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. 11.9% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 26081001000 compare to Grand Rapids overall?

Tract 26081001000 scores 5/10, 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 26081001000 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.