Housing in Watrous South at a glance
- Population
- about 6,540
- Housing units
- about 2,838
- Median value, owner-occupied homes
- $203,000Des Moines: $194,700 (+4%)
- Median gross rent
- $1,100 a monthDes Moines: $1,090 (+1%)
- Owner-occupied homes
- 69.4%Des Moines: 60.5%
- Homes built before 1980
- 84.6%
- Median year built
- 1958
Watrous South lands close to the middle of the Des Moines range, ranking sixth of ten for both value and rent: $203,000, 4% more than the $194,700 mark for Des Moines, and $1,100. The sector lies south of the centre. Of its neighbours, South Central DSM is lower ($168,000), Indianola Hills is lower ($171,000), and Easter Lake Area is higher ($240,000). Owners make up 69.4% of households, seventh of ten, while 815 households rent. Homes are old, with 84.6% built before 1980, fourth-highest of ten, with 1958 as the midpoint build year. Easter Lake Area, by contrast, has only 21.2% pre-1980 homes, and South Central DSM, at 70.7%, sits lower than Watrous South on that measure too. Rent here exceeds South Central DSM, where it is $900. Watrous South counts 6,540 residents in 2,838 homes. Owner shares nearby run from 53.7% in South Central DSM to 73.9% in Easter Lake Area, and Watrous South falls inside that span. It trails only Easter Lake Area on rent.
Questions about Watrous South
What is the median home value in Watrous South, Des Moines?
$203,000 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 Watrous South?
$1,100 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 Watrous South own or rent?
Most own: 69.4% 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.
Watrous South is one of the 10 most populous of 51 neighborhoods of Des Moines: estimated population about 6,540 (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 Watrous South
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 Watrous South. 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 Watrous South? Ask for your spot.