Merle Hay is home to 6,708 people in Des Moines. There are 4,259 people per square mile. Median home value sits at $200,461. 72% of homes are owner-occupied. Getting to work takes 20 minutes on average. Poverty is uncommon here, at 9.4% of people here. These figures are approximated by combining the 2 census tracts that make up Merle Hay; the Census Bureau does not tabulate data for neighborhoods directly.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.6
US median: 38.9
Average education
35% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Owner-heavy
72% owner-occupied
US average: 65%
Section 01
Population & growth
Total population
6,708
Population density
4,259 / sq mi
US average: 281
Median age
39.6
US average: 38.9
Land area
1.58 sq mi
Section 02
Income & economy
Median household income
$71,177
US average: $82,259
Per capita income
$40,883
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.8%
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.4%
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.349
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services11.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade10.6%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration10.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Information9.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance7.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical7.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade4.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing3.4%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food3.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing2.1%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction2.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
Education & health services0%
US avg: 0.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
Median home value
$200,461
US average: $376,019
Median gross rent
$1,261
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
72.0%
28.0% rent
Vacancy rate
4.4%
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.00 people
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.3%
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.7%
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.8
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2024
White, non-Hispanic72.5%(4,866)
Black8.1%(543)
Hispanic / Latino13.4%(900)
Asian2.6%(172)
Other3.4%(227)
2024
White, non-Hispanic72.5%(4,866)
Black8.1%(543)
Hispanic / Latino13.4%(900)
Asian2.6%(172)
Other3.4%(227)
Diversity Score
56
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
