Livability Awards
Located in the state of Iowa, Des Moines is a large city with a population of 212,859 people. According to the most recent Census, 77% of Des Moines residents are White, 11% Black and 6% Asian. If you are not a fan of long commutes, you will enjoy living in Des Moines. With average one way commute time of only 19 minutes, getting to and from work is a breeze compared to the national average of 26 minutes.
Are you trying to figure out if living in Des Moines is the right fit for your lifestyle? To ensure a good experience before moving to any new city in Iowa, you will probably want to make sure that you check all of the most important boxes. To help you find the best places to live in and around Des Moines, AreaVibes has created a livability score using key metrics like weather, employment, housing and more.
Using data and statistics Des Moines has received a livability score of 75 out of 100. This score is ranked in the 81st percentile when compared to all other cities. Compared to the United States average, Des Moines ranks among some of the best places to live in the country! Based on the grades for each individual category, Des Moines has been rewarded with high marks for amenities (A+), cost of living (B+), education (B) and housing (A-). There are some categories that Des Moines scores poorly for, including: crime (F), weather (D) and employment (D). It might be worth taking a closer look to determine why.
Location, location, location - possibly the three most important words in your search for a new place to live. Fortunately, in Des Moines, there is no shortage of amazing local amenities and interesting things to do. Some of the interesting things to do and attractions include: Adventureland, Blank Park Zoo, and Iowa State Fairgrounds.
The Des Moines unemployment rate (0.51%) has continued to decrease over the years and is now well below the national average. Finding a new job in the area might just be easier than you thought!
Based on multiple factors including: median home and rental prices, appreciation rates and home affordability, Des Moines has received high marks in the housing category. Based on these calculations, the apartment rental and real estate market appears to be very healthy.
Being close to public transportation, grocery stores, parks and other conveniences are all important when weighing your options for a new home in Des Moines. Before you determine if any of these amenities are available in the area, you will also want to know if the real estate prices in Des Moines are affordable. The median home price for Des Moines homes is $119,800, which is 9.8% lower than the Iowa average. If we take a closer look at the affordability of homes in Des Moines, we’ll see that the home price to income ratio is 2.5, which is 4.2% higher than the Iowa average. Year over year appreciation rates for homes in the Des Moines area were 7% and the 5 year appreciation rates came in at 7.3%. Why is this important? Knowing the appreciation rates for any area is a quick and easy way to determine if you will see a solid return on your investment.
| Statistic | Des Moines | Iowa | National |
| Average one way commute | 19min | 19min | 26min |
| Workers who drive to work | 80.3% | 80.7% | 76.4% |
| Workers who carpool | 10.4% | 8.6% | 9.3% |
| Workers who take public transit | 2.1% | 1.1% | 5.1% |
| Workers who bicycle | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Workers who walk | 2.8% | 3.5% | 2.8% |
| Working from home | 3.2% | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Walk | Bike | Compact | Car | S.U.V. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | |||||
| Duration | |||||
| Cost/Month |
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