Neighborhood · Des Moines, IA

Watrous South Eviction Risk: Moderate

3 census tracts · pop 10,727 · pop-weighted Eviction Risk Score 4.4/10 · range 4.1–4.8

Watrous South is a 3-tract neighborhood of Des Moines, IA, population 10,727. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.4/10, in the Moderate tier. Cost burden runs 53% against 29.6% citywide, putting Watrous South 23.6% over its own city.

The clearest offset is rent-regulation exposure, at 1/10. The severe-burden share is 22%. Those renters are past the 50% mark, and they miss rent for reasons that have nothing to do with willingness to pay. Running cool is eviction-process difficulty, at 2.5/10.

Filings are well documented here: 1,621 across 3 observed tracts. On the softer side is housing-court posture, at 2.5/10.

The poverty rate is 16%, which shows up in this model as reduced rent-recovery odds after a judgment. The worst year on record was 2015, when filings touched 30.2% of renter households.

That places it #27 of 44 neighborhoods in Des Moines. Judgments average 3.7% of renter households a year, the share of filings that actually convert to an order. For a like-for-like read, Somerset and Drake score within a fraction of it.

Social vulnerability runs high at 7.5/10, concentrating the disaster- and displacement-exposure this model treats as a lagging risk input. The 3 tracts here are tightly clustered, 0.7 points apart at the extremes.

The area figure travels well to individual addresses here, though the per-tract table below still carries the detail. The number is rebuilt whenever its ACS, court-record, or statutory inputs change.

Risk score

4.4

Moderate

3 tracts · population-weighted

Watrous South vs Des Moines How this neighborhood stacks against the citywide average

% of income on rent

53.2% +80%

Des Moines: 29.6%

Average gross rent

$1,081 -1%

Des Moines: $1,090

Average HH income

$63,712 0%

Des Moines: $63,966

Poverty rate

16.4% +10%

Des Moines: 14.9%

Renter share

31.7% -20%

Des Moines: 39.5%

Peer neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with similar eviction risk

Same county, closest by Eviction Risk Score.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Watrous South and the region

Click any tract to drill in · 3 tracts span score 4.1–4.8

Why Watrous South scores 4.4

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 4.5–4.5 across tracts

4.5

Rent control risk

53% of income on rent · Range 1.0–1.0 across tracts

1.0

Eviction process difficulty

State notice requirements & court backlog · Range 2.5–2.5 across tracts

2.5

Tenant organizing strength

32% renter households · Range 3.0–3.0 across tracts

3.0

Housing court bias

County bench composition · Range 2.5–2.5 across tracts

2.5

Economic stress

16.4% below poverty line · Range 3.2–5.0 across tracts

4.1

Supply constraint

Rent-to-FMR gap & zoning friction · Range 3.1–4.4 across tracts

3.9

Risk score comparison

Watrous South vs. parent city, state, U.S.

Eviction Risk Score (0–10 scale).

Variance across tracts

How uniformly does eviction risk play out in Watrous South?

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

Score distribution

0246810

Spread of 0.7 points from 4.1 to 4.8. Tracts are relatively uniform, so conditions feel similar throughout the neighborhood.

Tracts as heat grid

4.8 4.3 4.1

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

Census tracts

3 tracts in Watrous South

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

Tract↕	Score↕	Pop↕	% over 30% on rent↕	Average rent↕
19153004701	4.8	4,142	65%	$1,142
19153004603	4.3	4,100	47%	$1,078
19153004502	4.1	2,485	44%	$985

Social Vulnerability Index

CDC SVI percentile: 73

Pop-weighted across 3 tracts. Higher = more vulnerable to disaster, displacement, and rent shocks. Source: CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022.

Socioeconomic status 59%ile

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

Household characteristics 88%ile

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

Racial/ethnic minority 44%ile

Hispanic + non-white share of population

Housing & transport 67%ile

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

Eviction filings · Princeton Eviction Lab

Court-record eviction history in Watrous South

Aggregated across 3 validated constituent tracts. Filing rate is filings per 100 renter households, pop-weighted.

Historic baseline (2000–2018)

1,621Total filings (sum)
10.93%Avg annual filing rate
30.2%Peak year (2015)
15.15%Latest filed (2015)

CDC PLACES 2023 · pop-weighted

Eviction-adjacent indicators in Watrous South

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

14.7%Housing insecurity
9.9%Utility shutoff threat
19.2%Food insecurity
17.2%SNAP enrollment
11.0%No health insurance
33.3%Any disability

Frequently asked

About Watrous South

What is the eviction-risk score for Watrous South?

Watrous South scores 4.4/10 (Moderate tier) across 3 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 Watrous South compare to Des Moines overall?

Watrous South scores 1.0 points higher than Des Moines overall (3.4/10). Renters spend 53% of income on rent vs 30% citywide. Average rent: $1,081 vs $1,090.

What is the average rent in Watrous South?

Average gross rent in Watrous South is $1,081/month (pop-weighted across 3 census tracts, ACS 5-year 2023). 53% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What percentage of Watrous South residents are renters?

32% of Watrous South households are renter-occupied (vs 40% in Des Moines). The neighborhood has 10,727 residents.

Is Watrous South a high social-vulnerability area?

Watrous South sits in the 73rd 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 Watrous South have the highest eviction risk?

The highest-risk constituent tract in Watrous South is census tract 19153004701 (score 4.8/10). Across the 3 tracts in this neighborhood the score ranges from 4.1 to 4.8, a spread of 0.7 points.

How safe is Watrous South for landlords?

Watrous South carries a moderate-tier eviction-risk profile for landlords (4.4/10). Pop-weighted across 3 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.

What is the demographic breakdown of Watrous South?

Watrous South has 10,832 residents. Top groups: White (non-Hispanic) (70.9%), Hispanic / Latino (13.8%), Black (non-Hispanic) (10.8%). Source: ACS 5-year 2023, table B03002.

Nearby

Other neighborhoods near Watrous South

3.2 Southwestern Hills 2 tracts · pop 3,019 4 Pioneer Park 2 tracts · pop 9,731 4.5 Drake 2 tracts · pop 8,362 5.3 Frisbie Park 2 tracts · pop 9,369 3.3 Commerce 3 tracts · pop 17,749 3.4 Waveland Park 2 tracts · pop 6,019

Sibling neighborhoods

Other neighborhoods inside Des Moines

Same parent city, ranked by score similarity to Watrous South.

4.4 Somerset 2 tracts · pop 4,669 4.4 Drake 2 tracts · pop 8,362 4.4 Fairmont Park 2 tracts · pop 5,523 4.5 Laurel Hill 1 tracts · pop 2,406 4.5 Fort Des Moines 1 tracts · pop 6,426 4.5 Highland Park 2 tracts · pop 9,488

Zoom out