Polk County, Iowa
Population 503,175 · Des Moines, Ankeny, West Des Moines
- Overall cost of living: −8.3% vs the US average, higher than 66% of US counties.
- % Adults with a bachelor's degree: 40.3%, higher than 92% of US counties.
- Disaster damage per $100k: $83/yr, lower than 90% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−8.3% | higher than 66% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $262,100 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,149 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $139/mo | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $7,945/yr | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.68% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6% | higher than 46% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.7% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $4,396 | higher than 94% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $83,576 | higher than 85% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3.7% | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 598.8 | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈208 days | lower than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 12°F | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 36 in | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 22 days | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 128 days | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 9.2% of weeks | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈62.8°F | lower than 53% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 35.2 in | lower than 66% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $83/yr | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $56/yr | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.01/yr | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.54/yr | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $17/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.07/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 7.9 µg/m³ | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 295 mi | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈255.8 ft | lower than 78% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 92.5% | higher than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 40.3% | higher than 92% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 13.1% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15.4:1 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 87.1% | lower than 65% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.23 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.14 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.99 | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 96/100k | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.8★ | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 77.7 yrs | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 6.7% | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 378/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 81/100k | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 2.5/100k | higher than 80% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 90.6% | higher than 90% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 26 min | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 165 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 20 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 91.9% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.5% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 15.7% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 168 min | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 60 per sq mi | higher than 85% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.9 per 1k | higher than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 15.3 per 1k | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Population | 503,175 | higher than 95% of US counties |
| Median age | 36.2 | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +0.8 per 1k/yr | lower than 57% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 54.8% Dem | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 43.9% Rep | lower than 90% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.3% | higher than 49% of US counties |
| % White | 73.2% | lower than 61% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 10.4% | higher than 73% of US counties |
| % Black | 7.3% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Asian | 4.9% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.8% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.3% | higher than 46% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 935 parks | higher than 94% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 17.5 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 4.2 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 39 min | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.3% | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 51 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 728 km | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 324 km | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 134 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 189 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 16 | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 4 | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 8 | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 1,158 km | higher than 99% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data