Housing in Highland Park/Oak Park at a glance
- Population
- about 12,501
- Housing units
- about 5,647
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $148,000Des Moines: $194,700 (-24%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,080 a monthDes Moines: $1,090 (-1%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 73.4%Des Moines: 60.5%
- Homes built before 1980
- 90.8%
- Median year built
- 1941
Highland Park/Oak Park has the lowest home value of all ten Des Moines sectors with figures, $148,000, 24% shy of the Des Moines figure of $194,700. Downtown Des Moines ($318,000), Lower Beaver ($235,000) and Drake ($205,000) all sit higher. The area north of the centre is also old: 90.8% of homes were built before 1980, second-highest of ten, and the middle home dates from 1941. Owners are the clear bulk of households at 73.4%, third-highest of ten, while only 42.9% of Drake households own and just 9.2% downtown. Rent is $1,080, seventh-highest, a hair under the $1,090 city rent. Few places in Des Moines pair such low prices with such a settled, owner-heavy mix of older houses. Lower Beaver, with 80.5% pre-1980 stock, is the newer neighbour, and Downtown Des Moines, at 46.6%, newer still. Lower Beaver and this sector share similar owner shares, 73.9% and 73.4%. Drake, next door, has 82.2% pre-1980 housing and rent of $1,010, lower than here.
Questions about Highland Park/Oak Park
What is the median home value in Highland Park/Oak Park, Des Moines?
$148,000 for owner-occupied homes, against $194,700 for Des Moines as a whole (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary). It is the owners' own estimate of their home's value, not a sale price.
What is the median rent in Highland Park/Oak Park?
$1,080 a month in gross rent (rent plus utilities paid by the renter), against $1,090 in Des Moines (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Do most people in Highland Park/Oak Park own or rent?
Most own: 73.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 60.5% in Des Moines (Payotte estimate from Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year data for the census tracts within the official boundary).
Data and method
Data as of: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (retrieved 2026-11-02).
Estimate from the 3 census tracts whose internal point lies within the official boundary: counts are summed, and each median is recomputed from the summed value, rent and year-built brackets (grouped median, linear interpolation). The gap with the city is measured with the same method on the whole city.
Highland Park/Oak Park is one of the 10 most populous of 51 neighborhoods of Des Moines: estimated population about 12,501 (Payotte estimate: Census ACS 2020-2024 populations of the census tracts whose internal point lies inside the boundary; boundaries from City of Des Moines GIS, Neighborhoods, consulted 2026-11-02).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, tables B01003, B25001, B25003, B25034, B25063, B25064, B25075, B25077; U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (census tract internal points). City figures: the same survey, published for Des Moines as a whole. Home values are owners' estimates, not sale prices.
Near Highland Park/Oak Park
The closest sectors of Des Moines, by distance between population centres.
Other sectors of Des Moines
Five trades, one spot each
Payotte lists one professional per trade in Highland Park/Oak Park. No one is listed yet: every spot is open.
- Real estate agentOpen spot
- Mortgage loan officerOpen spot
- Home inspectorOpen spot
- Real estate attorneyOpen spot
- AppraiserOpen spot
Work in one of these trades in Highland Park/Oak Park? Ask for your spot.