Neighborhood Profile

Southwestern Hills

Des Moines, IA | Polk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
64.5
National rank: #2,604 of 14,967
Stability and Strength
63.2
Score
Value Opportunity
69.9
Score
Momentum
59.2
Score
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
ContextValue
LocationDes Moines, IA
CountyPolk County
National rank#2,604 of 14,967
State rank#31 of 165
City rank#10 of 60
County rank#10 of 60
National percentile82.6
National bandTOP_25_PERCENT
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Housing and local fundamentals

Housing and market metricsValue
Current Zillow home value$397,111
Year-over-year home value change2.3%
Month-over-month home value change-0.03%
Home value to income ratio3.68
Median household income$107,848
Bachelor's degree or higher50.4%
Civilian unemployment rate4.0%
Homeownership rate63.0%
Housing vacancy rate5.1%
Rent burden 30% or higher49.0%

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 Southwestern Hills

What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Southwestern Hills?

Southwestern Hills is ranked #10 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines; #31 of 165 eligible neighborhoods in IA; and #2,604 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.

Is Southwestern Hills one of the best neighborhoods in Des Moines?

Southwestern Hills has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 64.5 and a city ranking of #10 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines.

How much are homes worth in Southwestern Hills?

The current Zillow Home Value Index for Southwestern Hills is approximately $397,111.

Are home values rising or falling in Southwestern Hills?

Zillow neighborhood values changed 2.3% year over year and -0.03% month over month.

What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Southwestern Hills?

Southwestern Hills has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 59.2. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.

What is the median household income in Southwestern Hills?

The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $107,848.

How affordable is Southwestern Hills relative to household income?

The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 3.68. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.

Is Southwestern Hills primarily homeowners or renters?

The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 63.0%.

What is the unemployment rate in Southwestern Hills?

The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 4.0%.

How educated are residents of Southwestern Hills?

Approximately 50.4% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.

What share of renters in Southwestern Hills face high rent burden?

Approximately 49.0% 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 Southwestern Hills?

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

LIMITED

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 applications211
Estimated originations150
Home-purchase applications97
Origination rate71.4%
Home-purchase share46.0%
Average application loan$216,634
Total application loan amount$45,633,857
National application rankNot rankable
Geometry coverage73.4%
Recent trend: Applications 9.3% YoY; originations 14.7% 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.