1 census tracts · pop 3,179 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 3.3/10
· range 3.3–3.3
Grays Lake is a one-tract neighborhood of Des Moines, IA, population 3,179. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 3.3/10, Lower tier. Cost burden runs 84% against 29.6% citywide, putting Grays Lake 54.1% over its own city.
The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. 20% 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. On the softer side is economic stress, at 2/10.
Court records for this tract carry 178 eviction filings. Well under the midpoint is eviction-process difficulty, at 2.5/10.
Filing activity peaked in 2010 at 13.6% of renter households. At $978 a month, rents sit 10% under what the rest of Des Moines commands.
The most recent observed rate, 7.4% in 2015, is well off that peak. Among the 44 mapped neighborhoods of Des Moines, it ranks #36 by risk, the lower third.
At 12% renter-occupied, this is predominantly owner territory, and rental comps have to be drawn from further out. For a like-for-like read, Lower Beaver and Waveland Park score within a fraction of it.
Because the boundary contains one tract, 3.3/10 is simultaneously the area figure and the address-level figure. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
3.3
Lower
1 tracts · population-weighted
Grays Lake vs Des MoinesHow 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 & transport19%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Grays Lake
Aggregated across 1 validated constituent tract. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
178Total filings (sum)
6.36%Avg annual filing rate
13.6%Peak year (2010)
7.37%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Grays Lake
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
9.3%Housing insecurity
6.0%Utility shutoff threat
10.8%Food insecurity
8.7%SNAP enrollment
6.8%No health insurance
26.8%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Grays Lake
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Grays Lake?
Grays Lake scores 3.3/10 (Lower 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 Grays Lake compare to Des Moines overall?
Grays Lake scores 0.1 points lower than Des Moines overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 84% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $978 vs $1,090.
Q3
What is the average rent in Grays Lake?
Average gross rent in Grays Lake is $978/month (pop-weighted across 1 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 84% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Grays Lake residents are renters?
12% of Grays Lake households are renter-occupied (vs 40% in Des Moines). The neighborhood has 3,179 residents.
Q5
Is Grays Lake a high social-vulnerability area?
Grays Lake sits in the 28th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (less vulnerable). The index combines poverty, unemployment, household composition, racial/ethnic minority share, and housing/transportation factors across all US census tracts.
Q6
How safe is Grays Lake for landlords?
Grays Lake carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (3.3/10). 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 Des Moines as a whole (3.4/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.
Q7
What is the demographic breakdown of Grays Lake?
Grays Lake has 3,099 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (87.8%), Hispanic / Latino (11.1%), Black (non-Hispanic) (0.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
