Neighborhood · Ranked #61,757 of 84,120 nationally

Merle Hay Eviction Risk: Lower , Des Moines

Tract 19153010411 · Polk County, IA · pop 4,688 · neighborhood within 1.5 mi

The Moderate-tier score of 5.2/10 for census tract 19153010411 reflects conditions in the Merle Hay neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa. That is riskier than roughly 46% of the 84,120 US census tracts we score.

Rent eats 30% or more of income for 39% of renter households, a high level, and 23% are severely burdened at 50% or more. Average gross rent is $1,214 monthly, set against $69,308 in average yearly household income, roughly 21% of income at the averages. About 54% of occupied units are renter-occupied, a renter-majority tract.

Risk score

2.8

Lower

Confidence 100% · 1–10 scale

Household mix · 100 hh

Burdened renters 21% Stable renters 32% Owners 47%

Tract context

Occupied units1,964

Renter share53.6%

SVI overall0.69

Poverty rate8.3%

Median income$69,308

Percentile rank

Higher percentile = riskier than more peers.

Geographic context

Risk heat across Des Moines and the region

Centroid at 41.6220, -93.7267 · click any tract to drill in

Why Merle Hay scores 2.8

9 axes · 1 = landlord-friendly

Local political climate

Inherited from Des Moines

6.2

Regional political climate

2024 county presidential margin

5.8

State political climate

Iowa legislature & governorship

2.3

Economic stress

8.3% poverty · this tract

2.1

Supply constraint

$1,214 rent vs county FMR

5.0

Rent control risk

Inherited from Des Moines

3.9

Eviction process difficulty

State law sets the calendar

2.6

Tenant organizing strength

Inherited from Des Moines

5.1

Housing court bias

Inherited from Des Moines

3.8

How Merle Hay compares

Risk score vs. parent city, county, state.

CDC Social Vulnerability Index

SVI percentile: 69

CDC/ATSDR 2022. Higher = more vulnerable. National percentile across 84k tracts.

50%Socioeconomic
43%Household composition
54%Racial/ethnic minority
94%Housing & transportation

Comparable tracts

Census tracts with similar eviction risk

Within Merle Hay. Closest by Eviction Risk Score.

CDC PLACES 2023 · health & economic stress

Eviction-adjacent indicators

Crude prevalence of conditions linked to housing loss. Source: CDC PLACES (cwsq-ngmh), 2023 model-based small-area estimates.

9.7%Housing insecurity
6.3%Utility-shutoff threat
12.0%Food insecurity
9.5%SNAP enrollment
6.7%Transit barriers
7.4%No health insurance
16.6%Frequent mental distress
27.9%Any disability

Analysis

What drives eviction risk in Merle Hay

What moves this score most is tenant organizing strength at 5.1/10. That part comes from the wider legal climate rather than the tract itself. Statewide and court-level factors such as eviction-process speed and rent-control exposure are inherited from Des Moines eviction risk, while the economic and supply signals are measured at the tract level.

Set against its neighbors, this tract scores about the same as the Polk County average of 5.0 and above the Iowa statewide average of 4.3. Within its own county it reads on the riskier side for landlords.

In CDC survey modeling, about 9.7% of adults here said they could not pay rent or mortgage at some point in the past year, and 6.3% faced a utility shutoff threat, a common early warning before a filing.

The tract is predominantly White and ranks around the 69th percentile nationally on the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, a measure of how exposed residents are to housing and economic shocks. That is a middle-of-the-pack reading for social vulnerability.

For a landlord, conditions here are middle-of-the-road. Standard screening and prompt, documented notices usually keep cases short.

Frequently asked

About tract 19153010411

What is the eviction-risk score for census tract 19153010411?

Census tract 19153010411 in the Merle Hay neighborhood scores 2.8/10 (Lower tier). The Eviction Risk Score blends state law, county filing rates, parent-city politics, and tract-specific rent-to-income ratios + poverty signals.

What is the average rent in tract 19153010411?

Median gross rent is $1,214/month (ACS 5-year 2023, table B25064). 39% of renter households are cost-burdened.

What is the poverty rate in tract 19153010411?

8.3% of residents in tract 19153010411 live below the federal poverty line (ACS B17001, 2023). Population: 4,688.

How socially vulnerable is tract 19153010411?

CDC Social Vulnerability Index ranks this tract in the 69th percentile nationally. Sub-themes: socioeconomic 50th, household 43th, minority 54th, housing 94th.

Is tract 19153010411 considered part of Merle Hay?

Yes. Per Census Bureau 2020 Block Assignment Files, the plurality of blocks in tract 19153010411 fall within Merle Hay (neighborhood centroid within 1.5 miles, OSM data).

What share of households in tract 19153010411 struggle to pay rent?

About 9.7% of adults in this tract reported housing insecurity (could not pay rent or mortgage in the past 12 months), per the CDC PLACES 2023 model-based small-area estimate. 6.3% also reported utility shutoff threats, a frequent precursor to eviction filings.

How does tract 19153010411 compare to Des Moines overall?

Tract 19153010411 scores 2.8/10, right in line with the parent city of Des Moines at 2.6/10. City-scale signals (state law, local rent controls, court bias) are inherited from Des Moines eviction risk; what makes this tract different are its tract-specific economic stress and supply-constraint sub-scores.

Sibling tracts

Highest-risk tracts in Des Moines

Top eight tracts in Des Moines ranked by composite eviction-risk score.