Eviction Risk by ZIP: Severe Rent Burden, Vacancy and the FMR Gap (2026)
The eviction-risk card does not count evictions, which most courts do not publish by parcel; it reads the conditions that precede them. Severe rent burden, the share of renter households paying over half their income, is the lead measure, set beside vacancy, the owner-renter split, median income, the two-bedroom FMR and the HUD distress score. This report ranks the ZIPs where that pressure is highest and gives the national averages.
- Across 33,774 ZIPs the average severe rent burden is 19.8% of renter households and the thirty-percent burden 40.5% on the eviction-risk card.
- 823 ZIPs have thirty percent or more of renters in severe burden; the average vacancy rate is 16.2%.
- 71254 in East Carroll County, LA tops the eviction-risk table with 47.7% of renters in severe burden against a two-bedroom FMR of $903.
- The card reads the conditions before an eviction, not filings, which most courts do not publish by parcel.
eviction-risk: the eviction-risk card figures as of 2026-10-20; source Census rent-burden, tenure and vacancy figures with HUD FMR by ZIP.
| ZIP (county, state) | Burden 50%+ | Burden 30%+ | FMR 2-BR | HUD distress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71254 (East Carroll, LA) | 47.7% | 64.6% | $903 | 20.0 |
| 28692 (Watauga, NC) | 42.2% | 57.3% | $1,274 | 17.0 |
| 28607 (Watauga, NC) | 42.2% | 57.3% | $1,274 | 17.0 |
| 28679 (Watauga, NC) | 41.2% | 56.3% | $1,265 | 17.0 |
| 28618 (Watauga, NC) | 39.0% | 54.7% | $1,234 | 17.0 |
| 31087 (Hancock, GA) | 38.8% | 57.1% | $906 | 18.0 |
| 89822 (Eureka, NV) | 37.4% | 38.7% | $1,328 | 14.0 |
| 99163 (Whitman, WA) | 37.1% | 55.8% | $1,167 | 18.0 |
| 99111 (Whitman, WA) | 37.1% | 55.8% | $1,167 | 18.0 |
| 38664 (Tunica, MS) | 36.0% | 53.0% | $1,234 | 16.0 |
ZIPs by severe rent burden (renters paying 50%+ of income; 1,000+ units, 20%+ renters) (eviction-risk, as of 2026-10-20)
ZIPs under the most eviction pressure (eviction-risk)
71254 in East Carroll County, LA: severe burden 47.7%, burden 64.6% at thirty percent, FMR $903, HUD distress 20.0; 28692 in Watauga County, NC: severe burden 42.2%, burden 57.3% at thirty percent, FMR $1,274, HUD distress 17.0; 28607 in Watauga County, NC: severe burden 42.2%, burden 57.3% at thirty percent, FMR $1,274, HUD distress 17.0; 28679 in Watauga County, NC: severe burden 41.2%, burden 56.3% at thirty percent, FMR $1,265, HUD distress 17.0; 28618 in Watauga County, NC: severe burden 39.0%, burden 54.7% at thirty percent, FMR $1,234, HUD distress 17.0; 31087 in Hancock County, GA: severe burden 38.8%, burden 57.1% at thirty percent, FMR $906, HUD distress 18.0.
What eviction-risk measures
Rent burden at thirty and fifty percent comes from the Census; vacancy and tenure from the same source; FMR from HUD; the HUD distress score from the Section 8 card. The FMR share of income is shown so a user can see whether the subsidy ceiling sits above or below what the ZIP's households can pay.
How eviction-risk is computed
The card is a side-by-side read, not a blended score: severe burden is the sort key in this report, and ZIPs under a thousand units or under twenty percent renters are excluded so the ranking describes real rental markets.
How to use eviction-risk on a deal
High severe burden with low vacancy is a tight, stressed market where tenants stay because they cannot move; high burden with high vacancy is the setup for arrears and turnover. For a buyer of a distressed rental the card tells you what the tenant base can carry; for a landlord it says how much of the rent roll is one shock from default.
Read eviction-risk on your ZIPs
The affordability radar ranks ZIPs by burden; the live board shows which distressed parcels are rentals in high-pressure ZIPs.
Eviction-risk refreshes with its source table.
Eviction Risk by ZIP: Severe Rent Burden, Vacancy and the FMR Gap (2026): questions
Does the card count eviction filings?
No. Filings are not uniformly public by parcel; the card reads the burden and vacancy conditions that precede them.
What is severe rent burden?
A renter household spending fifty percent or more of income on rent, the Census threshold.
Why show FMR here?
Because the voucher ceiling sets the rent a burdened household can be subsidised up to; the gap between FMR and income is the pressure.
More on the eviction-risk card
Eviction Risk by ZIP: Severe Rent Burden, Vacancy and the FMR Gap (2026) (eviction-risk) is computed from Census rent-burden, tenure and vacancy figures with HUD FMR by ZIP; the eviction-risk card is research (eviction-risk), not legal advice; nothing on the eviction-risk page is tax or eviction-risk investment advice, so verify every eviction-risk figure with its issuing agency before acting.