The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Des Moines, IA For 2024


The best Des Moines neighborhoods are Waterbury and Ingersoll Park for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In Des Moines
Source: Public domain

What’s the best part of Des Moines?

It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Des Moines are the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Des Moines neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

If you’re thinking of moving to Iowa and Des Moines is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2024.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In Des Moines For 2024

  1. Waterbury
  2. Ingersoll Park
  3. Downtown Des Moines
  4. Salisbury Oaks
  5. Greenwood
  6. Linden Heights
  7. Waveland Park
  8. Beaverdale
  9. Lower Beaver
  10. Waveland Woods

So what’s the best neighborhood to live in Des Moines for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Waterbury looks to be the best Des Moines neighborhood to live in.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Des Moines that deserve a little bragging rights, or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Des Moines.

For more Iowa reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Des Moines

Population: 2,817
Median Home Value: $296,550 (Fourth best)
Median Income: $145,591 (best)
More on Waterbury: Data | Real Estate

Population: 641
Median Home Value: $236,200 (Eighth best)
Median Income: $73,304 (Eighth best)
More on Ingersoll Park: Data | Real Estate

Population: 5,358
Median Home Value: $305,300 (Third best)
Median Income: $64,784 (17th best)
More on Downtown Des Moines: Data | Real Estate

Population: 1,209
Median Home Value: $338,750 (Second best)
Median Income: $95,572 (Second best)
More on Salisbury Oaks: Data | Real Estate

Population: 1,101
Median Home Value: $276,100 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $70,557 (Tenth best)
More on Greenwood: Data | Real Estate

Population: 441
Median Home Value: $357,000 (best)
Median Income: $82,279 (Sixth best)
More on Linden Heights: Data | Real Estate

Population: 3,156
Median Home Value: $201,533 (Tenth best)
Median Income: $90,268 (Third best)
More on Waveland Park: Data | Real Estate

Population: 9,096
Median Home Value: $175,960 (14th best)
Median Income: $72,005 (Ninth best)
More on Beaverdale: Data | Real Estate

Population: 5,951
Median Home Value: $165,500 (16th best)
Median Income: $67,550 (14th best)
More on Lower Beaver: Data | Real Estate

Population: 922
Median Home Value: $166,600 (15th best)
Median Income: $65,250 (16th best)
More on Waveland Woods: Data | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Des Moines, IA Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in Des Moines, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 50 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Des Moines.” We’re lookin’ at you, Waterbury.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Des Moines, Iowa has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Des Moines.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Des Moines

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Des Moines where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in Des Moines are Waterbury, Ingersoll Park, Downtown Des Moines, Salisbury Oaks, Greenwood, Linden Heights, Waveland Park, Beaverdale, Lower Beaver, and Waveland Woods.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Des Moines aren’t all good. Capitol East takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Des Moines.

The worst neighborhoods in Des Moines are Capitol East, Cheatom Park, New Vision, Capitol View South, and River Bend.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more Iowa reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Des Moines For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Waterbury 2,817 $296,550 $145,591
2 Ingersoll Park 641 $236,200 $73,304
3 Downtown Des Moines 5,358 $305,300 $64,784
4 Salisbury Oaks 1,209 $338,750 $95,572
5 Greenwood 1,101 $276,100 $70,557
6 Linden Heights 441 $357,000 $82,279
7 Waveland Park 3,156 $201,533 $90,268
8 Beaverdale 9,096 $175,960 $72,005
9 Lower Beaver 5,951 $165,500 $67,550
10 Waveland Woods 922 $166,600 $65,250
11 North Of Grand 2,928 $150,700 $50,678
12 Sherman Hill 1,633 $276,200 $48,500
13 Meredith 4,719 $208,000 $82,472
14 Drake 11,707 $148,092 $50,473
15 Woodland Heights 2,179 $137,767 $48,632
16 Southwestern Hills 5,139 $193,675 $85,573
17 Merle Hay 9,321 $148,409 $60,055
18 Magnolia Park 1,403 $136,900 $47,049
19 Gray’s Woods 2,370 $116,450 $54,532
20 Bloomfield-Allen 9,066 $149,900 $70,410
21 Chautauqua Park 461 $97,100 $44,750
22 Arbor Peaks 1,094 $176,933 $46,908
23 Westwood 1,556 $261,550 $69,514
24 Union Park 6,702 $100,350 $50,720
25 Greater South Side 8,597 $127,050 $52,697
26 South Park 4,114 $146,900 $43,188
27 Valley High Manor 235 $134,600 $74,427
28 Indianola Hills 5,271 $127,000 $49,755
29 Accent 3,853 $103,925 $56,897
30 Jordan Park 2,175 $116,700 $26,350
31 Somerset 232 $178,900 $34,952
32 Oak Park 4,111 $114,700 $54,186
33 Fairmont Park 4,619 $115,650 $58,630
34 Kirkwood Glen 300 $105,700 $25,865
35 Douglas Acres 2,996 $133,200 $56,297
36 Fairground 4,460 $78,871 $38,775
37 Martin Luther King Jr Park 2,802 $75,800 $34,053
38 Capitol Park 2,630 $84,950 $39,602
39 Highland Park 9,529 $107,356 $48,216
40 Mckinley School 1,750 $83,933 $43,808
41 Laurel Hill 322 $124,700 $67,838
42 Drake Park 850 $133,900 $38,315
43 King-Irving Park 2,399 $86,950 $29,094
44 Garton West 57 $93,800 $66,094
45 Mondamin Presidentia 2,112 $75,800 $35,516
46 River Bend 2,522 $121,000 $35,134
47 Capitol View South 421 $78,300 $42,059
48 New Vision 858 $61,400 $32,832
49 Cheatom Park 1,542 $89,900 $41,255
50 Capitol East 1,488 $71,067 $36,169
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.