Neighborhood · Des Moines, IA

Merle Hay Eviction Risk: Lower

5 census tracts · pop 20,903 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 2.9/10 · range 2.3–4.3

Merle Hay is a white (non-hispanic) neighborhood in Des Moines with 5 census tracts and a population of 20,903 residents. The neighborhood's pop-weighted eviction-risk score of 2.9/10 (Lower tier) blends state law, county-level filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty. 40% of renters here pay at least 30% of household income on rent, and 19% are severely cost-burdened (≥50% of income). Average gross rent of $1,211/month sits 11% higher than the Des Moines citywide average ($1,090).

Risk score

2.9

Lower

5 tracts · population-weighted

Merle Hay vs Des Moines How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

40.3% +36%

Des Moines: 29.6%

Average gross rent

$1,211 +11%

Des Moines: $1,090

Average HH income

$77,270 +21%

Des Moines: $63,966

Poverty rate

9.0% -40%

Des Moines: 14.9%

Renter share

34.6% -12%

Des Moines: 39.5%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Merle Hay and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 5 tracts span score 2.3–4.3

Why Merle Hay scores 2.9

9 axes · pop-weighted · 1 = landlord-friendly

State political climate

legislature & governorship · Range 2.3–2.3 across tracts

2.3

Regional political climate

County-level mix · 2024 presidential margin · Range 5.8–5.8 across tracts

5.8

Local political climate

Parent city governance · Range 4.5–6.2 across tracts

5.6

Rent control risk

40% of income on rent · Range 1.0–5.3 across tracts

3.3

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 2.3–2.6 across tracts

2.5

Tenant organizing strength

35% renter households · Range 3.0–5.1 across tracts

4.4

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 2.5–4.6 across tracts

3.6

Economic stress

9.0% below poverty line · Range 1.2–3.8 across tracts

2.3

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 4.1–6.1 across tracts

5.0

Risk score comparison

Merle Hay vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Merle Hay?

Left: distribution of constituent tract scores. Right: every tract as a heat square. Click any square to drill in.

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 2 points from 2.3 to 4.3. This neighborhood crosses multiple risk tiers, so block-by-block conditions vary substantially.

Tracts as heat grid

4.3 3.0 2.8 2.6 2.3

Each square = one census tract. Color tracks the same green→red ramp as the chloropleth map above.

Census tracts

5 tracts in Merle Hay

Ranked highest-risk first. Click for per-tract detail.

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
19153000803	4.3	3,886	52%	$1,188
19153000901	3	3,019	36%	$1,102
19153010411	2.8	4,688	39%	$1,214
19153010408	2.6	4,002	35%	$1,120
19153011201	2.3	5,308	39%	$1,355

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 51

Pop-weighted across 5 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 40%ile

Poverty, unemployment, no-HS-diploma, housing cost burden

Household characteristics 45%ile

Single-parent HH, disability, language barriers, age 17- / 65+

Racial/ethnic minority 41%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 68%ile

Multi-unit structures, mobile homes, crowding, no vehicle

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Merle Hay

Aggregated across 4 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

817Total filings (sum)
4.28%Avg annual filing rate
9.4%Peak year (2015)
5.24%Latest filed (2015)

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Merle Hay

Average across all constituent tracts, population-weighted. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh) crude prevalence.

10.2%Housing insecurity
6.8%Utility shutoff threat
12.4%Food insecurity
10.2%SNAP enrollment
7.3%No health insurance
27.2%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Merle Hay

What is the eviction-risk score for Merle Hay?

Merle Hay scores 2.9/10 (Lower tier) across 5 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.

How does Merle Hay compare to Des Moines overall?

Merle Hay scores 0.3 points higher than Des Moines overall (2.6/10). Renters spend 40% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,211 vs $1,090.

What is the average rent in Merle Hay?

Average gross rent in Merle Hay is $1,211/month (pop-weighted across 5 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 40% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Merle Hay residents are renters?

35% of Merle Hay households are renter-occupied (vs 40% in Des Moines). The neighborhood has 20,903 residents.

Is Merle Hay a high social-vulnerability area?

Merle Hay sits in the 51st 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.

Which tracts in Merle Hay have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Merle Hay is census tract 19153000803 (score 4.3/10). Across the 5 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 2.3 to 4.3, a spread of 2 points.

How safe is Merle Hay for landlords?

Merle Hay carries a lower-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (2.9/10). Pop-weighted across 5 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 (2.6/10), this neighborhood is in line with the citywide level.

What is the demographic breakdown of Merle Hay?

Merle Hay has 21,050 residents (White (non-Hispanic) Neighborhood). Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (72.2%), Hispanic / Latino (10.9%), Black (non-Hispanic) (8.6%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Merle Hay

3.1 Beaverdale 2 tracts · pop 6,191 3.2 Waveland Park 2 tracts · pop 6,019 3.1 Meredith 2 tracts · pop 10,800 3.6 Frisbie Park 2 tracts · pop 9,369 4.2 Drake 2 tracts · pop 8,362 3.4 Lower Beaver 2 tracts · pop 6,931

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Des Moines

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Merle Hay.

2.9 Watrous Heights 1 tracts · pop 4,570 3 Beaverdale 2 tracts · pop 6,191 2.8 Westwood 1 tracts · pop 1,844 3.1 Waveland Park 2 tracts · pop 6,019 2.6 Greenwood 1 tracts · pop 2,871 3.2 Meredith 2 tracts · pop 10,800

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