1 census tracts · pop 3,487 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.8/10
· range 4.8–4.8
South Firs is a one-tract neighborhood of East Renton Highlands, WA and houses 3,487 people. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.8/10, in the Moderate tier. Cost burden runs roughly one in eight against 43.1% citywide, putting South Firs 31.8% under its own city.
The main counterweight is economic stress, at 1/10. Sitting well above the midpoint is rent-regulation exposure at 8.7/10. At $2,011 a month, rents sit 26% under what the rest of East Renton Highlands commands.
11% 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 filing record is not thin: 33 evictions logged in this tract. Well under the midpoint is supply constraint, at 2.5/10.
The worst year on record was 2012, when filings touched 5.8% of renter households. The most recent observed rate, 2.2% in 2013, is well off that peak. Only 6% of units are renter-occupied. Rental comparables are thin here; price renewals off the nearest genuine rental sub-market rather than off surrounding sale prices.
Rent takes 15% of average household income, comfortably inside the 30% line and unusually low for a rental sub-market. Poverty sits at 2%, low enough that arrears here usually reflect a specific shock rather than a structural income gap.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 4.8/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. Scores move when the ACS release, the court-record feed, or the statute ledger behind them moves.
Risk score
4.8
Moderate
1 tracts · population-weighted
South Firs vs East Renton HighlandsHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority23%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport35%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in South Firs
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
33Total filings (sum)
3.13%Avg annual filing rate
5.8%Peak year (2012)
2.17%Latest filed (2013)
Frequently asked
About South Firs
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for South Firs?
South Firs scores 4.8/10 (Moderate tier) across 1 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 Firs compare to East Renton Highlands overall?
South Firs scores 1.1 points lower than East Renton Highlands overall (5.9/10). Renters spend 11% of income on rent vs 43% citywide. Average rent: $2,011 vs $2,717.
Q3
What is the average rent in South Firs?
Average gross rent in South Firs is $2,011/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 11% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of South Firs residents are renters?
6% of South Firs households are renter-occupied (vs 9% in East Renton Highlands). The neighborhood has 3,487 residents.
Q5
Is South Firs a high social-vulnerability area?
South Firs sits in the 17th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (low vulnerability). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is South Firs for landlords?
South Firs carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.8/10). Pop-weighted across 1 constituent tracts, the score blends parent-city rent-control posture, county eviction-process timelines, and tract-specific rent-to-income / poverty signals. Compared to East Renton Highlands as a whole (5.9/10), this neighborhood is lower-risk.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of South Firs?
South Firs has 3,567 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (81.5%), Hispanic / Latino (8%), Other / Multiracial (6.4%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
