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Des Moines's neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You've got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.
It seems as if there's a neighborhood for everyone in Des Moines.
And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the country thanks in part to a strong economy and tons of entertainment, it's not all rainbows and sunshine in Des Moines. Some neighborhoods aren't as great as others.
So the question arises, which Des Moines neighborhoods are the worst, and which are the best?
Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Des Moines hoods need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Des Moines area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Waterbury ranks way above the rest.
We examined 49 of Des Moines's neighborhoods to find out the worst places to live. These places don't quite measure up to Des Moines's reputation.
The Worst Neighborhoods In Des Moines For 2022
So what's the worst neighborhood to live in Des Moines for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Capitol East looks to be the worst neighborhood in Des Moines.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Des Moines that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.
Once you're done, you can look at the bottom of the story for a complete chart of every neighborhood we looked at from worst to best. Looking for places to avoid outside of the city? You can also check out the worst suburbs of Des Moines.
For more Iowa reading, check out:
The 10 Worst Neighborhoods In Des Moines For 2022
/10
Population: 2,068
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $63,633 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $31,742 (9th worst)
More on Capitol East: Data
/10
Population: 1,115
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $76,300 (6th worst)
Median Income: $30,403 (8th worst)
More on New Vision: Data
/10
Population: 1,542
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $89,900 (13th worst)
Median Income: $41,255 (18th worst)
More on Cheatom Park: Data
/10
Population: 405
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $76,300 (6th worst)
Median Income: $27,692 (3rd worst)
More on Capitol View South: Data
/10
Population: 2,849
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $91,880 (16th worst)
Median Income: $29,329 (5th worst)
More on River Bend: Data
/10
Population: 255
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $29,900 (worst)
Median Income: $42,112 (20th worst)
More on Somerset: Data
/10
Population: 2,112
Rank Last Year: 7 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $75,800 (4th worst)
Median Income: $35,516 (11th worst)
More on Mondamin Presidentia: Data
/10
Population: 2,399
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $86,950 (11th worst)
Median Income: $29,094 (4th worst)
More on King-Irving Park: Data
/10
Population: 332
Rank Last Year: 24 (Up 15)
Median Home Value: $120,900 (28th worst)
Median Income: $57,064 (36th worst)
More on Laurel Hill: Data
/10
Population: 669
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Median Home Value: $121,600 (29th worst)
Median Income: $20,852 (worst)
More on Carpenter: Data
Methodology: How we determined the worst Des Moines neighborhoods in 2022
To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what places have the least amount of those things. We threw the following criteria into this analysis in order to get the best, most complete results possible. We used this set of criteria for each neighborhood in Des Moines:
- High unemployment (Less jobs)
- Low median income (Less pay)
- Low population density (No things to do)
- Low home values (No one's willing to pay to live here)
- High crime (Estimated)
Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Des Moines, Iowa for each of these criteria from worst to best.
Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criteria into a "Worst Score".
The neighborhood with the lowest "Worst Score" ranks as the worst neighborhood of Des Moines.
Read on below to learn more about these terrible places around Des Moines to live. Or skip to the end to see the list of all 49 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased. Hold on to your pants.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Des Moines
Well there you have it -- the worst of the neighborhoods in Des Moines with Capitol East landing at the bottom of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Des Moines aren't all bad. Waterbury takes the cake as the best place to live in Des Moines.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
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