Living in Urbandale

Urbandale is a large place in Iowa, United States, home to 44,062 people. Of the 29 household profiles on Nestlyzer, its strongest are movers on a budget (top 1%, #37 of 12,111), low-income households (top 1%, #33 of 9,771), first-time home buyers (top 1%, #53 of 8,006).

Residents44,062

Density– per km²

Area– km²

Hub airport11 km (Des Moines International)

Nearest city of 100k+9 km

Within 30 km520,000 people

Climate typeContinental, hot summer (Dfa)

Terrain around itabout 280 m, height range 60 m

Nearest major riverDes Moines, 4.4 km

Main railway line9.1 km

Distance to Washington, D.C.1,447 km

Within 10 km377,492 people

Greater areaGreater Des Moines, 9 km out

LandscapeCentral Lowlands

Winter daylight9 h 09 min, sunset 23:48

See Urbandale on the map

Open in Nestlyzer

Good to know about Urbandale

The landscape belongs to Central Lowlands.
It is part of Greater Des Moines, 9 km from the city centre.
On the shortest day the sun is up for 9 h 09 min and sets around 23:48; in late June it sets around 3:53.

Best places in Greater Des Moines

How Urbandale 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	72	#147 of 11,898	#5 of 102	Map
Low-income household	70	#33 of 9,771	#6 of 120	Map
Low-income family	72	#146 of 8,006	#9 of 53	Map
Single parent	74	#128 of 6,237	#7 of 37	Map
Pensioner couple	69	#1,358 of 9,474	#1 of 69	Map
Single pensioner	74	#496 of 9,474	#1 of 69	Map
Early retiree	66	#2,310 of 10,762	#3 of 138	Map
Single professional	67	#760 of 4,537	#5 of 23	Map
Young professional	69	#857 of 4,444	#6 of 25	Map
DINKS	69	#1,118 of 3,053	#4 of 18	Map
Remote worker	73	#54 of 7,271	#2 of 83	Map
Commuter	79	#272 of 6,227	#6 of 46	Map
Car-free household	68	#959 of 3,933	#6 of 22	Map
Student	66	#1,244 of 2,119	#7 of 12	Map
First-home buyer	71	#53 of 8,006	#9 of 53	Map
Budget-constrained mover	67	#37 of 12,111	#6 of 165	Map
Urban lifestyle seeker	63	#1,125 of 4,114	#5 of 21	Map
Expat professional	74	#900 of 7,271	#2 of 83	Map
Healthcare-first mover	76	#738 of 9,474	#1 of 69	Map
Nature-focused household	49	#9,402 of 18,063	#312 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	14	#10,771 of 16,523	#151 of 283	Map
Rural value seeker	51	#6,841 of 18,063	#305 of 353	Map
High-net-worth mover	74	#1,107 of 16,523	#1 of 283	Map
Lottery winner	77	#732 of 21,167	#3 of 457	Map
Climate-resilient relocation	76	#143 of 12,111	#1 of 165	Map
Coastal living		not ranked: below the minimum for coast	–	Map
Business owner	76	#803 of 12,111	#2 of 165	Map
Digital native	62	#779 of 4,750	#6 of 27	Map

Strengths and trade-offs

Services nearby (people within 10 km: shops, doctors, cafes, transport)100
Climate exposure (estimate: coastal and river flooding, heat; 100 = low)100
Foundation93
Mobility and connectivity89
Health and elderly74
Jobs and economy72
Lifestyle and amenities72
Universities in town (universities and universities of applied sciences within 10 km)70
University-town character (universities relative to the people nearby)68
Freight access (motorway, rail, port)67
Safety and community67
Education and family66
Affordability51
Climate (mild and sunny: climate class and winter daylight)50
Flat land (terrain relief)44
City scale (people within 10 km: big-city life, transit, scenes)43
Market reach (residents within 100 km, across borders)35
Green space29
Sea or lake shore25
One-day truck radius (residents within 300 km, across borders)23
Home market (residents of the same country within 150 km)22
Mountains and water (terrain relief, lakes and the sea nearby)2
Port access (major sea or inland port)0
Chemical park nearby (sites with pipeline links)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.