What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Union Park?
Union Park is ranked #32 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines; #102 of 165 eligible neighborhoods in IA; and #9,199 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Union Park
Des Moines, IA | Polk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
45.5
Stability and Strength
39.9
Value Opportunity
56.2
Momentum
39.6
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 | #9,199 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #102 of 165 |
| City rank | #32 of 60 |
| County rank | #32 of 60 |
| National percentile | 38.5 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $177,062 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 0.2% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.24% |
| Home value to income ratio | 3.09 |
| Median household income | $57,313 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.5% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 5.3% |
| Homeownership rate | 79.8% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 4.4% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 64.7% |
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 Union Park
Is Union Park one of the best neighborhoods in Des Moines?
Union Park has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 45.5 and a city ranking of #32 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines.
How much are homes worth in Union Park?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Union Park is approximately $177,062.
Are home values rising or falling in Union Park?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 0.2% year over year and -0.24% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Union Park?
Union Park has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 39.6. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Union Park?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $57,313.
How affordable is Union Park relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 3.09. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Union Park primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 79.8%.
What is the unemployment rate in Union Park?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 5.3%.
How educated are residents of Union Park?
Approximately 16.5% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Union Park face high rent burden?
Approximately 64.7% 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 Union Park?
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 applications177
Estimated originations114
Home-purchase applications93
Origination rate64.3%
Home-purchase share52.7%
Average application loan$111,694
Total application loan amount$19,738,385
National application rank#2,445 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications -3.8% YoY; originations -2.1% 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.