Des Moines, IA

The affordability dashboard for Des Moines, IA aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 11 ZIP codes covering 212,318 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (62/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $68,100, median home value of $203,189, median rent of $1,067 per month, and 27.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $1,318 per month (studio $1,063, 1BR $1,109, 3BR $1,794, 4BR $1,841). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $9,220 per year, consuming 14% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Des Moines, IA include commute. Unemployment currently reads 5.8% and poverty 15.0% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.