What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for West Central?
West Central is ranked #4 of 22 eligible neighborhoods in Waterloo; #46 of 165 eligible neighborhoods in IA; and #4,509 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
West Central
Waterloo, IA | Black Hawk County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
58.6
Stability and Strength
50.4
Value Opportunity
65.8
Momentum
61.5
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Waterloo, IA |
| County | Black Hawk County |
| National rank | #4,509 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #46 of 165 |
| City rank | #4 of 22 |
| County rank | #4 of 22 |
| National percentile | 69.9 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $157,965 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.2% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.14% |
| Home value to income ratio | 2.40 |
| Median household income | $65,765 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 30.7% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 4.6% |
| Homeownership rate | 67.5% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 4.3% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 41.9% |
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 West Central
Is West Central one of the best neighborhoods in Waterloo?
West Central has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 58.6 and a city ranking of #4 of 22 eligible neighborhoods in Waterloo.
How much are homes worth in West Central?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for West Central is approximately $157,965.
Are home values rising or falling in West Central?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.2% year over year and -0.14% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for West Central?
West Central has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 61.5. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in West Central?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $65,765.
How affordable is West Central relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 2.40. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is West Central primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 67.5%.
What is the unemployment rate in West Central?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 4.6%.
How educated are residents of West Central?
Approximately 30.7% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in West Central face high rent burden?
Approximately 41.9% 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 West Central?
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 applications55
Estimated originations38
Home-purchase applications28
Origination rate69.0%
Home-purchase share50.0%
Average application loan$77,417
Total application loan amount$4,263,624
National application rank#6,856 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 6.4% YoY; originations -1.9% 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.