5 census tracts · pop 16,141 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 5.1/10
· range 5.1–5.1
Highland Heights is a 5-tract neighborhood of Houston, TX, population 16,141. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 5.1/10, Moderate tier. Severe burden reaches 46%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears.
Cost burden runs 58% against 32.1% citywide, putting Highland Heights 26.3% over its own city. Average gross rent is $867, 36% below the Houston average of $1,361.
The main counterweight is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. The poverty rate is 31%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment.
On the softer side is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10. Filings are well documented here: 1,417 across 3 observed tracts.
Running cool is supply constraint, at 2.5/10. Filing activity peaked in 2014 at 28.0% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 11.6% in 2015, is well off that peak.
Among the 397 mapped neighborhoods of Houston, it ranks #1 by risk, the upper third. For a like-for-like read, North Shadydale and Grand Vista Lakes score within a fraction of it. Social vulnerability runs high at 9.7/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
The 5 tracts here are tightly clustered, 0 points apart at the extremes. Annual rent works out to 31% of average household income of $34,026.
51% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
5.1
Moderate
5 tracts · population-weighted
Highland Heights vs HoustonHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority93%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport75%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Highland Heights
Aggregated across 3 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,417Total filings (sum)
14.76%Avg annual filing rate
28.0%Peak year (2014)
11.17%Latest filed (2015)
Pandemic-era tracking (2020–2021)
1,399Total filings 2020-21
3.7Avg monthly observed
4.1Pre-pandemic baseline
1.06×Ratio to baseline
Pandemic filings ran near baseline. Tracked under Eviction Lab Eviction Tracking System (Houston, TX).
Frequently asked
About Highland Heights
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Highland Heights?
Highland Heights scores 5.1/10 (Moderate tier) across 5 census tracts. The pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income and poverty signals.
Q2
How does Highland Heights compare to Houston overall?
Highland Heights scores 1.4 points higher than Houston overall (3.7/10). Renters spend 58% of income on rent vs 32% citywide. Average rent: $867 vs $1,361.
Q3
What is the average rent in Highland Heights?
Average gross rent in Highland Heights is $867/month (pop-weighted across 5 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 58% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Highland Heights residents are renters?
51% of Highland Heights households are renter-occupied (vs 58% in Houston). The neighborhood has 16,141 residents.
Q5
Is Highland Heights a high social-vulnerability area?
Highland Heights sits in the 97th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (highly vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
Which tracts in Highland Heights have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Highland Heights is census tract 48201533200 (score 5.1/10). Across the 5 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.1 to 5.1, a spread of 0 points.
Q7
How safe is Highland Heights for landlords?
Highland Heights carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (5.1/10). Pop-weighted across 5 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Houston as a whole (3.7/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Highland Heights?
Highland Heights has 15,689 residents. Top groups: Black (non-Hispanic) (57.2%), Hispanic / Latino (33.9%), White (non-Hispanic) (5.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
