Should I Move To
West Des Moines, Iowa comes in at about 68,744 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 11% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,153/mo, and the median household income is about $82,345. Overall, 52/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #416 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 89 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $1,153/mo and median household income at $82,345, housing takes about 17% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $266,700.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect cold-winter weather — summers near 84°F, winters around 17°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 37 inches annually. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go. AQI runs about 37 — a "good" reading.
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
On the families profile, West Des Moines sits squarely in the middle. The profile-weighted score is 58/100 — a C. Its standout dimension is education (84/100); the soft spot is walkability (8/100).
West Des Moines is a tougher sell for retirees. The profile-weighted score is 41/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (84/100); the soft spot is walkability (8/100).
West Des Moines is a tougher sell for remote workers. The profile-weighted score is 52/100 — a C-. Its standout dimension is education (84/100); the soft spot is walkability (8/100).
West Des Moines is a tougher sell for young professionals. The profile-weighted score is 48/100 — a D. Its standout dimension is education (84/100); the soft spot is walkability (8/100).
Our overall score for West Des Moines is 52/100 — a C-, sitting at #416 in the national ranking. It's a weighted average across the seven UrbRank dimensions.
By the composite index, West Des Moines sits at 89 — affordable, 11% below the national average. Median renter pays around $1,153 a month.
West Des Moines runs cold-winter on the weather. Summer's near 84°F, winter's near 17°F; 37 inches of precipitation annually.
Walk Score: 8/100. Almost entirely car-dependent. Sidewalks exist; they just don't connect to where you need to go.
Roughly 68,744 people live here, with 54% college-educated (bachelor's or higher) among adults 25+ with a median age of 36.
Drop West Des Moines into the comparison tool with any other US city and you'll get housing costs, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life data lined up side by side. Profile-specific leaderboards (families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals) are linked from the navigation.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare West Des Moines with other Iowa cities scored on UrbRank.
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