Neighborhood · Ranked #48,083 of 84,120 nationally

Third Ward Eviction Risk: Lower , Grand Rapids

Tract 26081003400 · Kent County, MI · pop 5,013 · neighborhood within 1.0 mi

In Third Ward in Grand Rapids, census tract 26081003400 scores 5.6/10 for eviction risk. It lands near the 61st percentile nationally for landlord eviction risk.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 47% of renter households, a severe level, and 15% are severely burdened at 50% or more. The typical renter pays about $988 a month while the average household earns $94,330 a year, roughly 13% of income at the averages. About 14% of occupied units are renter-occupied.

Risk score

3.6

Lower

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 7% Stable renters 8% Owners 85%

Tract context

Occupied units2,153

Renter share14.4%

SVI overall0.32

Poverty rate9.5%

Median income$94,330

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Grand Rapids and the region

Centroid at 42.9335, -85.6244 · click any tract to drill in

Why Third Ward scores 3.6

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

9.5% poverty · this tract

2.4

Supply constraint

$988 rent vs county FMR

1.8

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: 32

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

9%Socioeconomic
21%Household composition
52%Racial/ethnic minority
82%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
17%Grade B
75%Grade C
8%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.

8.6%Housing insecurity
6.1%Utility-shutoff threat
9.8%Food insecurity
8.2%SNAP enrollment
6.0%Transit barriers
5.2%No health insurance
15.2%Frequent mental distress
25.1%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Third Ward

The heaviest input here is eviction process difficulty at 4.5/10. 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 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 safer side for landlords.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 32nd percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a relatively low-vulnerability reading.

Part of this tract, about 8% 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, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 26081003400

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 26081003400?

Census tract 26081003400 in the Third Ward neighborhood scores 3.6/10 (Lower 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 26081003400?

Median gross rent is $988/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 47% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 26081003400?

9.5% of residents in tract 26081003400 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 5,013.

How socially vulnerable is tract 26081003400?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 32th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 9th, household 21th, minority 52th, housing 82th.

Is tract 26081003400 considered part of Third Ward?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 26081003400 fall within Third Ward (neighborhood centroid within 1.0 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 26081003400 struggle to pay rent?

About 8.6% 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. 6.1% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 26081003400 compare to Grand Rapids overall?

Tract 26081003400 scores 3.6/10, right in line with 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 26081003400 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. 8% 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.