Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

The map below shows majority race by area in Merle Hay, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Merle Hay racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.

Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
White
Hispanic
Black
Asian
Multiple/Other
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area

The majority race in Merle Hay overall is white, making up 75.7% of residents. The next most-common racial group is hispanic at 11.3%. There are more white people in the northeast areas of the neighborhood. People who identify as hispanic are most likely to be living in the central places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:

Race in Merle Hay

 
Self-Identified Race
Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA Population
White
75.7%
Hispanic
11.3%
Black
6.5%
Asian
3.7%
Native American
0.1%
Other
2.7%
   

Diversity and Diversity Scores for Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA

The map below shows diversity in Merle Hay. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the neighborhood would both be considered lacking diversity.

Merle Hay, Des Moines, IA map of race and ethnicity
Click the map to explore
Less diverse More diverse
Colorblind friendly off

Merle Hay Diversity Score

40.8

More diverse than 24% of US neighborhoods

Merle Hay has a diversity score of 40.8: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Merle Hay is less diverse than other US neighborhoods, more diverse than 24% of them. Within Merle Hay's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is northwest Merle Hay, and the least diverse areas are in northeast Merle Hay.

Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.

Nearby Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods with Similar Populations