What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Southern Heights?
Southern Heights is ranked #13 of 14 eligible neighborhoods in Burien; #454 of 533 eligible neighborhoods in WA; and #11,926 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Southern Heights
Burien, WA | King County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
36.8
Stability and Strength
39.7
Value Opportunity
35.4
Momentum
34.1
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Burien, WA |
| County | King County |
| National rank | #11,926 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #454 of 533 |
| City rank | #13 of 14 |
| County rank | #267 of 287 |
| National percentile | 20.3 |
| National band | LOWER_25_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $598,355 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -1.1% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.07% |
| Home value to income ratio | 7.03 |
| Median household income | $85,138 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.2% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 9.0% |
| Homeownership rate | 54.5% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 7.8% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 51.5% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Southern Heights
Is Southern Heights one of the best neighborhoods in Burien?
Southern Heights has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 36.8 and a city ranking of #13 of 14 eligible neighborhoods in Burien.
How much are homes worth in Southern Heights?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Southern Heights is approximately $598,355.
Are home values rising or falling in Southern Heights?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -1.1% year over year and -0.07% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Southern Heights?
Southern Heights has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 34.1. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Southern Heights?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $85,138.
How affordable is Southern Heights relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 7.03. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Southern Heights primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 54.5%.
What is the unemployment rate in Southern Heights?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 9.0%.
How educated are residents of Southern Heights?
Approximately 24.2% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Southern Heights face high rent burden?
Approximately 51.5% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Southern Heights?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications192
Estimated originations106
Home-purchase applications73
Origination rate55.1%
Home-purchase share37.9%
Average application loan$331,767
Total application loan amount$63,844,990
National application rank#2,173 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 7.1% YoY; originations 24.1% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.