Census Tract · Ranked #10,885 of 84,120 nationally

Grand Rapids Eviction Risk: Elevated

Tract 26081003600 · Kent County, MI · pop 2,292

The Elevated-tier score of 6.5/10 for census tract 26081003600 reflects conditions in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That is riskier than about 87% of US census tracts.

62% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 34% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average rent runs $933 a month against an average household income of $29,763 a year, roughly 38% of income at the averages. About 58% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

6.1

Elevated

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 36% Stable renters 22% Owners 42%

Tract context

Occupied units755

Renter share57.9%

SVI overall0.98

Poverty rate55.6%

Median income$29,763

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Grand Rapids and the region

Centroid at 42.9386, -85.6626 · click any tract to drill in

Why Grand Rapids scores 6.1

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

55.6% poverty · this tract

10.0

Supply constraint

$933 rent vs county FMR

1.5

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: 98

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

98%Socioeconomic
87%Household composition
89%Racial/ethnic minority
89%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
27%Grade C
4%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.

37.3%Housing insecurity
30.5%Utility-shutoff threat
52.1%Food insecurity
56.0%SNAP enrollment
27.0%Transit barriers
21.7%No health insurance
23.8%Frequent mental distress
47.1%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Grand Rapids

What moves this score most is economic stress at $1/10. 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.

In CDC survey modeling, about 37.3% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 30.5% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

Part of this tract, about 4% of its area, sat in the redlined grade-D zone on 1930s HOLC maps, though its dominant grade was C ("Declining"). That lending history still correlates with present-day rent burden.

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 26081003600

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 26081003600?

Census tract 26081003600 in Grand Rapids scores 6.1/10 (Elevated 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 26081003600?

Median gross rent is $933/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 62% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 26081003600?

55.6% of residents in tract 26081003600 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 2,292.

How socially vulnerable is tract 26081003600?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 98th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 98th, household 87th, minority 89th, housing 89th.

What share of households in tract 26081003600 struggle to pay rent?

About 37.3% 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. 30.5% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 26081003600 compare to Grand Rapids overall?

Tract 26081003600 scores 6.1/10, 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 26081003600 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. 4% 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.