South Central DSM, Des Moines
South Central DSM is one of the 46 neighborhoods the City of Des Moines recognizes (city neighborhood list). The city's list gives its recognition date as November 21, 2022; 45 of the 46 were recognized in an earlier year.
Boundaries
| North | East Park Avenue/East Watrous Avenue/East McKinley |
|---|---|
| South | Army Post Road |
| East | SE 14th Street |
| West | SE 5th Street/South Union/SW 9th Street |
Residential parcels and assessed values
The Polk County Auditor's parcel data puts 3,034 residential parcels inside South Central DSM's boundary: the 7th highest count of the 46 neighborhoods. 2,900 of them have a dwelling value. Their median assessed value is $195,800, and the middle half are assessed between $161,600 and $223,000.
That median is the 22nd lowest of the 46 neighborhoods' medians. The middle of those 46 medians is $201,725, and South Central DSM's is $5,925 below it.
Assessed for property tax as of January 1, 2025; not sale prices. What is counted.
School and taxing district
Every residential parcel in South Central DSM is in the Des Moines Independent Community School District and in one taxing district, Des Moines city, Des Moines Independent schools, at a consolidated rate of $43.74496 per $1,000 of taxable value for the bills paid in September 2026 and March 2027 (Polk County Auditor's rate table). 34 other neighborhoods are wholly in the same two.
Finding the school for an address.
On a home assessed at South Central DSM's median, $195,800, the yearly tax works out to about $3,602.31: $195,800 × 44.5345% rollback = $87,198 taxable, ÷ 1,000 × $43.74496 = $3,814.47, less the $212.16 homestead credit (who gets it).
Estimate the tax on another value → · Every Des Moines taxing district →
Census figures
Eight Census block groups lie mostly inside South Central DSM (how they are matched). Together they cover 95.2% of its area and hold 96.5% of its 4,630 housing units in the 2020 Census. Median values and median years built can be quoted for block group 4 of tract 44, block groups 1 and 2 of tract 45.01 and block groups 1, 2, 3 and 5 of tract 46.02, which hold 85.3% of its 2020 housing units. The table gives the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for them, with margins of error at 90% confidence: median values from $97,800 to $226,600 and median years built from 1954 to 1983.
| Block group | Median value owners' own estimate | Median year built |
|---|---|---|
| Block group 4, tract 449.5% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | — margin of error too wide | 1958 ± 8 years |
| Block group 1, tract 45.019.3% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | $208,200 ± $39,296 | 1967 ± 10 years |
| Block group 2, tract 45.0115.3% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | — margin of error too wide | 1974 ± 5 years |
| Block group 1, tract 46.0219.7% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | $188,900 ± $21,769 | 1983 ± 5 years |
| Block group 2, tract 46.0211.4% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | $97,800 ± $10,468 | 1954 ± 4 years |
| Block group 3, tract 46.0211.5% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | $226,600 ± $28,437 | — margin of error too wide |
| Block group 4, tract 46.0211.3% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | — fewer than 100 owner-occupied homes | — margin of error too wide |
| Block group 5, tract 46.028.6% of South Central DSM's 2020 housing units | — not published | 1977 ± 6 years |
Owner-occupied homes, pooled over the eight block groups: 47.9% of 4,026 occupied homes (± 6.3 points; pooled with the Census Bureau's formulas).
Parks
The city's parks layer has seven parks mostly inside South Central DSM's boundary (which parks are listed).
Mostly inside: Allen Park (North), Allen Park (South), Jordan Park, South Side Senior Center, South Union Elementary Schoolyard, Weeks School Park, Yeader Creek Open Space (linear park).
All 46 recognized neighborhoods → · ← Sherman Hill · Southwestern Hills →
Renting in Des Moines → Zillow's typical rent and the Census Bureau's renter figures for the city.
Sources
- City of Des Moines, Neighborhoods (recognized neighborhood boundaries, boundary streets, recognition dates and websites), Des Moines Area Regional GIS Partnership. Retrieved November 5, 2026. © City of Des Moines, Iowa. All rights reserved. Facts stated with credit; the boundary maps are not reproduced.
- Polk County Auditor, Polk County Cadastral Parcels REST service: parcel boundaries, condominium unit points and the Value table (tax year 2025). Retrieved November 5, 2026. Polk County compiled this information for government purposes only and makes no warranty; it is not responsible for non-governmental use.
- Polk County Auditor, Consolidated Tax Levy Rates For Polk County, Iowa: For 2025 Assessed Valuations, Taxes Payable September 2026 and March 2027 (City Non-Agricultural section). Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code 2026, section 425.2 (qualifying for the homestead credit: claim filed by July 1 of the year claimed; a buyer refiles). Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- Iowa Department of Revenue, Homestead Tax Credit and Exemption. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb, 2020 Census blocks with housing-unit counts (HU100). Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, TIGERweb, ACS 2024 block group boundaries. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024: tables B25077 (median value), B25035 (median year structure built) and B25003 (tenure), by block group, via the Census Data API. Retrieved November 5, 2026. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey 2024 Subject Definitions (Value; Year Structure Built; Tenure). Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data (2020), chapter 8: Calculating Measures of Error for Derived Estimates. Retrieved November 5, 2026.
- City of Des Moines, Parks, Des Moines Area Regional GIS Partnership. Retrieved November 5, 2026. © City of Des Moines, Iowa. All rights reserved.
The city's boundaries are used only to count what falls inside them; this site does not reproduce the city's maps. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Public records, shown as published for the dates named. Not an appraisal, not real-estate or tax advice. Check a specific address's school and tax district with the district and the county.