2 census tracts · pop 13,300 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 6.2/10
· range 5.2–6.9
South Highlands is a 2-tract neighborhood of Kennewick, WA, population 13,300. The Eviction Risk Score is 6.2/10, in the Elevated tier. 32% are severely burdened, paying half their income or more in rent. That cohort has no absorption capacity for an unexpected bill, and it is where non-payment filings originate.
The 2 tracts inside this boundary do not behave alike. Individual scores run 5.2 to 6.9, a 1.7-point gap wide enough that the area average misleads on any specific address. The strongest single driver of the headline number is tenant-organizing strength at 7.7/10. Running hot is rent-regulation exposure at 7.6/10.
Cost burden runs 38% against 32.7% citywide, putting South Highlands 5.2% over its own city. At $1,442 a month, rents sit 16% over what the rest of Kennewick commands. The filing record is not thin: 12 evictions logged in this tract.
Sitting well above the midpoint is housing-court posture at 7.1/10. Filing activity peaked in 2004 at 1.8% of renter households.
That places it #6 of 7 neighborhoods in Kennewick. Judgments average 1.3% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order.
At 16% renter-occupied, this is predominantly owner territory, and rental comps have to be drawn from further out. The closest comparables inside the same city are Windsong and Kennewick Park.
Underwrite the address, not the area: with 1.7 points between its best and worst tract, the per-tract table below is the operative number. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
6.2
Elevated
2 tracts · population-weighted
South Highlands vs KennewickHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority51%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport62%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in South Highlands
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
12Total filings (sum)
1.79%Avg annual filing rate
1.8%Peak year (2004)
1.79%Latest filed (2004)
Frequently asked
About South Highlands
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for South Highlands?
South Highlands scores 6.2/10 (Elevated tier) across 2 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 South Highlands compare to Kennewick overall?
South Highlands scores 0.3 points higher than Kennewick overall (5.9/10). Renters spend 38% of income on rent vs 33% citywide. Average rent: $1,442 vs $1,240.
Q3
What is the average rent in South Highlands?
Average gross rent in South Highlands is $1,442/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 38% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of South Highlands residents are renters?
16% of South Highlands households are renter-occupied (vs 39% in Kennewick). The neighborhood has 13,300 residents.
Q5
Is South Highlands a high social-vulnerability area?
South Highlands sits in the 59th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (moderately 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 South Highlands have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in South Highlands is census tract 53005011100 (score 6.9/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 5.2 to 6.9, a spread of 1.7 points.
Q7
How safe is South Highlands for landlords?
South Highlands carries a elevated-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (6.2/10). Pop-weighted across 2 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to Kennewick as a whole (5.9/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of South Highlands?
South Highlands has 13,432 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (62%), Hispanic / Latino (28.9%), Other / Multiracial (6.2%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
