Within neighborhood
100
th percentile
Very High
Neighborhood · Ranked #11,930 of 84,120 nationally
Highlands Eviction Risk: Elevated , Westfield
Tract 25013812002 · Hampden County, MA · pop 4,671 · neighborhood within 1.3 mi
Census tract 25013812002 covers Highlands in Westfield, home to 4,671 residents. For landlords it grades 7.2/10, an elevated reading. On the national scale it ranks #2,824 of 84,120 for landlord eviction difficulty.
59% of renter households here spend at least 30% of income on rent, a severe level, and 34% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $1,246 a month while the average household earns $49,517 a year, roughly 30% of income at the averages. About 49% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
Risk score
6
Elevated
Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale
Household mix · 100 hh
Burdened renters 29%
Stable renters 20%
Owners 51%
Tract context
Occupied units1,874
Renter share48.8%
SVI overall0.88
Poverty rate23.2%
Median income$49,517
Percentile rank
Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.Within parent city
50
th percentile
Moderate
Within county
76
th percentile
High
Within state
90
th percentile
High
Geographic context
Risk heat across Westfield and the region
Centroid at 42.2148, -72.6500 · click any tract to drill in
Why Highlands scores 6
9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendlyLocal political climate
Inherited from Westfield
6.3
Regional political climate
2024 county presidential margin
5.9
State political climate
Massachusetts legislature & governorship
6.2
Economic stress
23.2% poverty · this tract
5.8
Supply constraint
$1,246 rent vs county FMR
3.3
Rent control risk
Inherited from Westfield
6.4
Eviction process difficulty
State law sets the calendar
5.6
Tenant organizing strength
Inherited from Westfield
9.6
Housing court bias
Inherited from Westfield
7.4
How Highlands compares
Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.CDC Social Vulnerability Index
SVI percentile: 88
CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.
- 90%Socioeconomic
- 76%Household composition
- 62%Racial/ethnic minority
- 78%Housing & transportation
Historical context · 1930s redlining
HOLC grade: B: Still Desirable
This tract sits within an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s. Grade B meant middle-class areas with mortgage access. These designations suppressed minority homeownership for generations and remain a documented predictor of present-day eviction filings and rent burden.
- 1%Grade A
- 20%Grade B
- 1%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 Highlands. 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.
- 21.2%Housing insecurity
- 14.1%Utility-shutoff threat
- 25.7%Food insecurity
- 32.0%SNAP enrollment
- 13.7%Transit barriers
- 11.4%No health insurance
- 20.3%Frequent mental distress
- 40.2%Any disability
Analysis
What drives eviction risk in Highlands
The heaviest input here is tenant organizing strength at 9.6/10. That part comes from the wider legal climate rather than the tract itself. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Westfield eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.
Set against its neighbors, this tract scores above the Hampden County average of 6.6 and above the Massachusetts statewide average of 5.9. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.
The tract is White and Hispanic or Latino and ranks around the 88th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. High vulnerability tends to track with higher eviction-filing rates when rents climb.
HOLC surveyors mapped this tract in the 1930s with a dominant grade of B ("Still Desirable"), above the redlined D tier. The grading still shaped decades of lending and development in the surrounding area.
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 25013812002
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 25013812002?
Census tract 25013812002 in the Highlands neighborhood scores 6/10 (Elevated tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.
Q2
What is the average rent in tract 25013812002?
Median gross rent is $1,246/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 59% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q3
What is the poverty rate in tract 25013812002?
23.2% of residents in tract 25013812002 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,671.
Q4
How socially vulnerable is tract 25013812002?
CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 88th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 90th, household 76th, minority 62th, housing 78th.
Q5
Is tract 25013812002 considered part of Highlands?
Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 25013812002 fall within Highlands (neighborhood centroid within 1.3 miles, OSM data).
Q6
What share of households in tract 25013812002 struggle to pay rent?
About 21.2% 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. 14.1% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.
Q7
How does tract 25013812002 compare to Westfield overall?
Tract 25013812002 scores 6/10, higher than the parent city of Westfield at 5.7/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Westfield eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.
Q8
Was tract 25013812002 historically redlined?
Yes. This tract sits inside an area graded by the Home Owners' Loan Corporation in the 1930s, with a dominant grade of B. 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 Westfield
Top eight tracts in Westfield ranked by composite eviction-risk score.
Tract · MA
The Flats
6.8
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Holyoke Center
6.8
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Holyoke Center
6.8
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
The Flats
6.6
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Willimansett
6.5
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Oakdale
5.9
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Oakdale
5.9
/ 10 · Elevated
Tract · MA
Oakdale
5.5
/ 10 · Elevated
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