What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Lower Beaver?
Lower Beaver is ranked #20 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines; #60 of 165 eligible neighborhoods in IA; and #5,788 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Lower Beaver
Des Moines, IA | Polk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
54.9
Stability and Strength
60.6
Value Opportunity
65.8
Momentum
30.5
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Des Moines, IA |
| County | Polk County |
| National rank | #5,788 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #60 of 165 |
| City rank | #20 of 60 |
| County rank | #20 of 60 |
| National percentile | 61.4 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $253,280 |
| Year-over-year home value change | -1.0% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.23% |
| Home value to income ratio | 3.39 |
| Median household income | $74,626 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.7% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 2.5% |
| Homeownership rate | 71.0% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 4.7% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 19.3% |
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 Lower Beaver
Is Lower Beaver one of the best neighborhoods in Des Moines?
Lower Beaver has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 54.9 and a city ranking of #20 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines.
How much are homes worth in Lower Beaver?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Lower Beaver is approximately $253,280.
Are home values rising or falling in Lower Beaver?
Zillow neighborhood values changed -1.0% year over year and -0.23% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Lower Beaver?
Lower Beaver has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 30.5. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Lower Beaver?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $74,626.
How affordable is Lower Beaver relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 3.39. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Lower Beaver primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 71.0%.
What is the unemployment rate in Lower Beaver?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 2.5%.
How educated are residents of Lower Beaver?
Approximately 32.7% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Lower Beaver face high rent burden?
Approximately 19.3% 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 Lower Beaver?
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 applications212
Estimated originations144
Home-purchase applications99
Origination rate68.2%
Home-purchase share47.0%
Average application loan$187,598
Total application loan amount$39,723,825
National application rank#1,908 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 11.5% YoY; originations 3.6% 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.