Living in Des Moines (Iowa)

Des Moines (Iowa) is a city in Iowa, United States, home to 214,133 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are commuters (top 1%, #34 of 6,227), low-income households (top 1%, #60 of 9,771), digital natives (top 1%, #47 of 4,750).

Residents214,133

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport8 km (Des Moines International)

Nearest city of 100k+Itself

Within 30 km525,500 people

Climate typeContinental, hot summer (Dfa)

Terrain around itabout 280 m, height range 30 m

Nearest major riverDes Moines, under 1 km

Main railway lineunder 1 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.1,438 km

Within 10 km355,259 people

Greater areaGreater Des Moines, the core

LandscapeCentral Lowlands

Winter daylight9 h 09 min, sunset 23:48

See Des Moines (Iowa) on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Des Moines (Iowa)

The landscape belongs to Central Lowlands.
The Des Moines runs through or right past it.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 9 h 09 min and sets around 23:48; in late June it sets around 3:52.

Best places in Greater Des Moines

How Des Moines (Iowa) ranks

Scores run 0 to 100 against every municipality in United States. Ranks count only the places that pass each profile's minimums, so the totals differ by profile. Local data: official statistics on affordability, green space, education and family, health and elderly, jobs and economy, lifestyle and amenities, mobility and connectivity and safety and community (local or regional figures, sources on every place page) plus population and geography.

Profile	Score	In United States	In Iowa
Young family	60	#2,040 of 11,898	#59 of 102	Map
Low-income household	68	#60 of 9,771	#11 of 120	Map
Low-income family	65	#572 of 8,006	#28 of 53	Map
Single parent	68	#464 of 6,237	#18 of 37	Map
Pensioner couple	59	#5,363 of 9,474	#38 of 69	Map
Single pensioner	60	#4,555 of 9,474	#36 of 69	Map
Early retiree	57	#6,475 of 10,762	#70 of 138	Map
Single professional	73	#221 of 4,537	#1 of 23	Map
Young professional	76	#183 of 4,444	#1 of 25	Map
DINKS	74	#687 of 3,053	#1 of 18	Map
Remote worker	64	#1,154 of 7,271	#20 of 83	Map
Commuter	83	#34 of 6,227	#1 of 46	Map
Car-free household	77	#278 of 3,933	#1 of 22	Map
Student	81	#71 of 2,119	#2 of 12	Map
First-home buyer	70	#84 of 8,006	#12 of 53	Map
Budget-constrained mover	64	#146 of 12,111	#17 of 165	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	72	#405 of 4,114	#1 of 21	Map
Expat professional	74	#809 of 7,271	#1 of 83	Map
Healthcare-first mover	70	#1,681 of 9,474	#13 of 69	Map
Nature-focused household	35	#13,987 of 18,063	#344 of 353	Map
Cross-border commuter		not ranked: must-have: a border within 45 km where pay is higher on the other side	–	Map
Outdoor and mountain lover	2	#15,480 of 16,523	#279 of 283	Map
Rural value seeker	39	#11,024 of 18,063	#345 of 353	Map
High-net-worth mover	64	#3,931 of 16,523	#20 of 283	Map
Lottery winner	80	#290 of 21,167	#1 of 457	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	66	#3,887 of 12,111	#101 of 165	Map
Coastal living	52	#6,083 of 6,413	#15 of 15	Map
Business owner	76	#809 of 12,111	#3 of 165	Map
Digital native	74	#47 of 4,750	#1 of 27	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Foundation100
Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)97
Mobility and connectivity90
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)89
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)80
Flat land (terrain relief)80
Health and elderly80
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)75
Jobs and economy72
Lifestyle and amenities72
Education and family66
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)61
Affordability51
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)50
Sea or lake shore40
Safety and community37
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)36
Green space29
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)23
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)21
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)0
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)0
National border nearby (straight line)0
Financial centre (banking and capital markets) within commuting distance0
Commodity-trading or gold hub within commuting distance0
Crypto hub within commuting distance0
Wealth-management centre within commuting distance0

Nearby

Data: Eurostat GISCO LAU 2024; locations EDJNet LAU centres; airports OurAirports; coastline Natural Earth. Updated 2026-10-31. Rankings are decision aids, not advice.