Housing Value★★★★★★★★★★3.9 / 5Home values compared with local household income.
Living in Des Moines, IA
Explore Des Moines and see how it fits the life you want to build.
Overall Match7.2 / 10
Baseline match from currently available location scores. Choose priorities to personalize it.
Des Moines at a Glance
Key facts and current data
Population212,421
Median Household Income$65,932
Median Home Value$194,700
Median Gross Rent$1,090
Median Age34.6
Average Household Size2.3
Unemployment5.6%
Work From Home13.1%
Homeownership60.5%
Housing Vacancy7.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year.
Des Moines is large enough to contain meaningfully different residential, commercial and employment areas rather than functioning as one uniform market. Home values are relatively modest compared with local household income, giving the area a comparatively favorable ownership-affordability signal.
Experience the Area
Experience Life in Des Moines Before You Move
Explore Short-Term Stays in Des Moines →Stay options powered by Stay22 · affiliate
NarrowTheList highly recommends you spend a week or two in Des Moines and experience everyday life before deciding whether it is the right place to call home. Use that time to explore neighborhoods, drive your normal routes, shop where residents shop, and get a feel for the area at different times of day.
NarrowTheList Ratings
Data-driven starter ratings. More categories appear automatically as new datasets are added.
Housing & Cost of Living in Des Moines
Current housing indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau
Median Home Value$194,700
Median Gross Rent$1,090
Homeownership60.5%
Housing Vacancy7.7%
Home values are comparatively balanced against local household income, although individual neighborhoods can still vary substantially. The housing mix leans toward owner-occupied homes while still supporting a meaningful rental market.
Jobs, Income & Remote Work
Employment and household-income context for Des Moines, IA
Median Household Income$65,932
Unemployment5.6%
Work From Home13.1%
The reported unemployment rate is in a middle range. A meaningful share of employed residents work from home.
Population & Household Profile
Who lives in Des Moines and how households are structured
Population212,421
Median Age34.6
Average Household Size2.3
Des Moines is a mid-sized community where neighborhood and nearby-employment patterns can materially affect a relocation decision.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year. NarrowTheList presents these values as relocation context; conditions can vary within a community.
Climate & Weather in Des Moines
Long-term NOAA climate normals and practical seasonal context
NOAA climate normals for Des Moines point to hot summers, cold winters, a wetter annual rainfall pattern and substantial annual snowfall.
Average Summer High85.6°F
Average Winter Low13.8°F
Annual Rainfall36.6 in.
Annual Snowfall36.5 in.
Seasonal Life in Des Moines
What the long-term climate pattern may mean for everyday living.
Spring
Spring is a useful time to evaluate how quickly outdoor conditions become comfortable and how seasonal rain affects everyday routines.
Summer
Summer is warm enough that shade and cooling still matter, but the typical high is below the extreme-heat range seen in many hotter U.S. markets.
Fall
Fall marks a substantial seasonal transition here. It is a useful time to judge how quickly temperatures change and whether that seasonal swing fits the lifestyle you want.
Winter
Freezing winter lows and meaningful snowfall make snow removal, winter driving, heating costs and cold-weather routines important parts of evaluating the area.
Source: NOAA/NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Seasonal descriptions are relocation context derived from the available long-term normals, not a forecast.
County Intelligence
Des Moines & Its Counties
Medium
Foreclosure Activity
Des Moines spans Polk and Warren counties.
Living in a community that crosses county lines can make location within Des Moines especially important. Property taxes, housing characteristics, public services and other county-level factors may vary depending on which part of the community you call home.
Current NarrowTheList data for Des Moines shows a population of about 212,421. These local figures become more useful when read together with county-level tax, housing, foreclosure and demographic conditions rather than treated as isolated city statistics.
Foreclosure Activity: Medium. Current signal uses NarrowTheList foreclosure-opportunity data until direct county delinquency and foreclosure datasets are connected.
For someone comparing homes, county boundaries can matter because taxes, public services, court and recording systems, assessment practices and housing-market conditions are often administered or reported at the county level. NarrowTheList keeps that county relationship attached to the community so future tax, foreclosure, housing and demographic data can be interpreted in the correct geographic context.
County relationship
Polk County and Warren County
How NarrowTheList uses it
NarrowTheList connects Des Moines with all 2 of its counties rather than assigning the community to only one. As additional county data becomes available, those differences can be compared alongside city-level information to help identify which parts of the area may better fit your priorities.
For someone considering a move to Des Moines, the available data currently points to comparatively attainable ownership costs relative to local income. These signals are most useful when considered alongside the specific neighborhood, commute and housing type that fit the household making the move.
Nearby Cities & Communities
Nearby incorporated cities, towns, villages and other municipalities shown by straight-line distance.