What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Waveland Woods?
Waveland Woods is ranked #2 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines; #13 of 165 eligible neighborhoods in IA; and #1,301 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Waveland Woods
Des Moines, IA | Polk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
70.3
Stability and Strength
68.0
Value Opportunity
72.8
Momentum
70.4
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 | #1,301 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #13 of 165 |
| City rank | #2 of 60 |
| County rank | #2 of 60 |
| National percentile | 91.3 |
| National band | TOP_10_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $271,722 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.5% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.09% |
| Home value to income ratio | 2.79 |
| Median household income | $97,313 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 45.9% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 4.4% |
| Homeownership rate | 87.3% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 5.0% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 0.8% |
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 Waveland Woods
Is Waveland Woods one of the best neighborhoods in Des Moines?
Waveland Woods has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 70.3 and a city ranking of #2 of 60 eligible neighborhoods in Des Moines.
How much are homes worth in Waveland Woods?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Waveland Woods is approximately $271,722.
Are home values rising or falling in Waveland Woods?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.5% year over year and 0.09% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Waveland Woods?
Waveland Woods has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 70.4. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Waveland Woods?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $97,313.
How affordable is Waveland Woods relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 2.79. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Waveland Woods primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 87.3%.
What is the unemployment rate in Waveland Woods?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 4.4%.
How educated are residents of Waveland Woods?
Approximately 45.9% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Waveland Woods face high rent burden?
Approximately 0.8% 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 Waveland Woods?
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 applications22
Estimated originations15
Home-purchase applications13
Origination rate66.7%
Home-purchase share58.0%
Average application loan$157,643
Total application loan amount$3,433,215
National application rank#10,362 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 13.1% YoY; originations 7.0% 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.