Housing in Merle Hay at a glance
- Population
- about 6,708
- Housing units
- about 3,503
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $197,000Des Moines: $194,700 (+1%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,300 a monthDes Moines: $1,090 (+19%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 72.4%Des Moines: 60.5%
- Homes built before 1980
- 92.5%
- Median year built
- 1953
Merle Hay has the oldest housing of any Des Moines sector with data: 92.5% of homes predate 1980, the highest share of the ten, and the typical house dates to 1953. It also posts the top rent, $1,300, 19% higher than the $1,090 city rent, even though values are modest at $197,000, seventh of ten. Beside it, Beaverdale is valued at $243,000; Lower Beaver sits at $235,000; yet rent is lower in both, $1,200 and $1,170. Drake, in contrast, rents at $1,010, and Drake is valued at $205,000. Owners hold 72.4% of households, fifth-highest of ten, in this north-west corner of the city. High rent, old stock and mid-table values make an unusual mix, since the neighbours with higher values charge less to renters. Its 6,708 residents live in 3,503 homes, with 2,420 households owning and 924 renting. Beaverdale posts 72.1% owners and Lower Beaver 73.9%, so ownership is similar across these neighbours. Its median year built, 1953, is older than Beaverdale's 1957.
Questions about Merle Hay
What is the median home value in Merle Hay, Des Moines?
$197,000 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 Merle Hay?
$1,300 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 Merle Hay own or rent?
Most own: 72.4% 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 2 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.
Merle Hay is one of the 10 most populous of 51 neighborhoods of Des Moines: estimated population about 6,708 (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 Merle Hay
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 Merle Hay. 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 Merle Hay? Ask for your spot.