2 census tracts · pop 9,488 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.5/10
· range 4.1–4.8
Highland Park spans 2 census tracts of Des Moines, IA, population 9,488. That produces an Eviction Risk Score of 4.5/10, Moderate tier. The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10.
38% of renters here are cost-burdened at the 30% threshold, ahead of the Des Moines rate of 29.6%. Severe burden reaches 16%. A tenant at that level absorbs no shock: one cut shift or one repair bill converts directly into arrears. Well under the midpoint is eviction-process difficulty, at 2.5/10.
Court records carry 1,056 eviction filings across its 2 observed tracts. Running cool is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10.
Filing activity peaked in 2015 at 19.9% of renter households. Among the 44 mapped neighborhoods of Des Moines, it ranks #20 by risk, the middle third.
Judgments average 4.8% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order. For a like-for-like read, Laurel Hill and Fort Des Moines score within a fraction of it. Social vulnerability runs high at 7.9/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input.
The 2 tracts here are tightly clustered, 0.7 points apart at the extremes. Average gross rent runs $1,072, close to the Des Moines average. Annual rent works out to 23% of average household income of $56,100.
28% of occupied units are renter-occupied.
With little internal variation, 4.5/10 is a fair proxy for any address inside the boundary. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.
Risk score
4.5
Moderate
2 tracts · population-weighted
Highland Park vs Des MoinesHow this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average
Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+
Racial/ethnic minority56%ile
Hispanic + non-white share of population
Housing & transport54%ile
Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle
Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab
Court-record eviction history in Highland Park
Aggregated across 2 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.
Historic baseline (2000–2018)
1,056Total filings (sum)
11.44%Avg annual filing rate
19.9%Peak year (2015)
13.87%Latest filed (2015)
CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted
Eviction-adjacent indicators in Highland Park
Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.
18.3%Housing insecurity
12.3%Utility shutoff threat
25.0%Food insecurity
22.8%SNAP enrollment
13.5%No health insurance
35.2%Any disability
Frequently asked
About Highland Park
Q1
What is the eviction-risk score for Highland Park?
Highland Park scores 4.5/10 (Moderate 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 Highland Park compare to Des Moines overall?
Highland Park scores 1.1 points higher than Des Moines overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 38% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,072 vs $1,090.
Q3
What is the average rent in Highland Park?
Average gross rent in Highland Park is $1,072/month (pop-weighted across 2 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 38% of renter households are cost-burdened.
Q4
What percentage of Highland Park residents are renters?
28% of Highland Park households are renter-occupied (vs 40% in Des Moines). The neighborhood has 9,488 residents.
Q5
Is Highland Park a high social-vulnerability area?
Highland Park sits in the 77th 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 Park have the highest eviction risk?
The highest-risk constituent tract in Highland Park is census tract 19153000400 (score 4.8/10). Across the 2 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.1 to 4.8, a spread of 0.7 points.
Q7
How safe is Highland Park for landlords?
Highland Park carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.5/10). 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 Des Moines as a whole (3.4/10), this neighborhood is higher-risk.
Q8
What is the demographic breakdown of Highland Park?
Highland Park has 9,363 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (55.6%), Hispanic / Latino (19.9%), Asian (non-Hispanic) (10.7%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.
