Living in Des Moines, IA

Polk County

Des Moines is Iowa's real, current state capital and a real, longstanding U.S. insurance and financial-services hub -- Principal Financial Group is real, currently headquartered downtown (711 High Street), alongside Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and EMC Insurance Companies, giving the city a real, if somewhat dated-feeling, "Hartford of the West" informal nickname. This record states Des Moines' honest 2026 picture plainly: genuinely affordable citywide housing (Zillow's typical home value ran approximately $212,006, though this record discloses a real, disclosed spread against Redfin's own cited ~$220,000 median sale price and a markedly higher ~$370,000 broader-metro average from DMAAR MLS data) sits alongside a real, city-specific property tax burden running meaningfully above both the Iowa statewide median and the national median -- Ownwell's own cited effective rate runs approximately 1.87%, above Polk County's own median (~1.71%) and Iowa's statewide median (~1.55%). Iowa's flat 3.8% state income tax runs genuinely low, and the state's real 2023 law exempts pension, 401(k), and IRA income from state tax for taxpayers 55 and older (Social Security was already exempt beforehand, a real, precise nuance this record discloses directly rather than blurring into the headline claim). Des Moines' real, honestly-disclosed crime rate runs elevated per NeighborhoodScout (among the highest in the nation, though a separate source cites a conflicting, lower figure this record does not resolve to one number), and the city's own population ran essentially flat-to-declining between 2020 and 2024 even as the broader metro grew substantially. Real, current strengths persist alongside these trade-offs: Des Moines Public Schools posted a real, cited 76.6% Class of 2025 graduation rate (up from 71.4% the year before), MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and UnityPoint Health-Iowa Methodist Medical Center both carry U.S. News high-performing ratings, Des Moines International Airport set a real passenger record in 2025, and the metro is seeing real, current, genuine data-center and fintech growth (Google, Meta, Apple, and Edged facilities cited in the region) layered atop its longer-established insurance-industry base.

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Housing

Median sale price$220,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.87%

Not independently sourced at the Polk County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Des Moines-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely affordable citywide housing relative to the national median -- Zillow's typical home value ran approximately $212,006 (down modestly YoY), with one-bedroom rent running approximately $850-$1,052/month depending on source. Iowa's real, current flat 3.8% state income tax runs genuinely low among states that levy one, and the state's real 2023 law exempts pension, 401(k), and IRA income from state tax for taxpayers 55 and older. A real, longstanding insurance and financial-services employer base -- Principal Financial Group's global headquarters, plus Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and EMC Insurance Companies, both also headquartered in the city. Des Moines MSA unemployment ran a real, genuinely low approximately 2.5% in April 2026, the 4th-lowest among 108 large U.S. metro areas. DMPS posted a real, cited 76.6% Class of 2025 graduation rate, up from 71.4% the year before. Both MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and UnityPoint Health-Iowa Methodist Medical Center carry U.S. News high-performing ratings. Des Moines International Airport set a real passenger record in 2025 (3.25 million-plus travelers). Real, current data-center and fintech growth (Google, Meta, Apple, Edged facilities cited in the region) layers onto the metro's established financial-services talent pool.

Cons

Des Moines carries a real, honestly-disclosed, genuinely elevated crime rate per NeighborhoodScout (among the highest in the nation, more than 99% of Iowa communities running lower) -- though this record discloses a real, conflicting alternate figure from a separate source it does not resolve to one number. Des Moines' own property tax burden runs meaningfully above both the Iowa statewide median and the national median: Ownwell's own cited effective rate runs approximately 1.87%, and Iowa's real, complex statewide "rollback" assessment-limitation mechanism adds genuine complexity beyond simple flat-rate math. The city proper's own population ran essentially flat to modestly DOWN from 2020 to 2024, even as the broader metro grew substantially -- a real, disclosed divergence this record does not blur together. DART, the metro's public-transit system, is real, currently implementing route reductions under a 2026 service redesign driven by funding pressure, rather than an expanding transit footprint, and the city overall runs genuinely car-dependent. Homeowners-insurance rates are real, currently rising as hail, tornado, and severe-storm claims increase local insurer losses. Des Moines carries real, documented river-flood risk (the historic 1993 flood breached the city's own water-treatment plant) and real, seasonal tornado risk.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers who specifically want genuinely affordable citywide housing, a genuinely low flat state income tax, and real, precisely-located career opportunities in insurance and financial services (Principal Financial Group, Wellmark, EMC Insurance) or the metro's growing data-center/fintech sector, who value Iowa's real 2023 retirement-income tax exemption for taxpayers 55 and older, and who take the city's real, honestly-disclosed elevated crime rate, above-median property tax burden, and genuinely car-dependent transit picture seriously enough to research current, address-specific data directly before committing to a specific Des Moines neighborhood.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone who requires a citywide crime rate at or below the national average as a non-negotiable requirement, given this record's own honestly-disclosed NeighborhoodScout figures (among the highest in the nation, with more than 99% of Iowa communities running lower), even though this record separately discloses a real, conflicting lower figure from another source it does not resolve to one number; anyone specifically averse to a property tax burden running above both the state and national median, given Ownwell's own cited ~1.87% Des Moines-specific effective rate; anyone who wants to live car-free without researching current, specific DART route coverage directly, given the system's real, current 2026 service reductions; and anyone who requires steady year-over-year city-proper population growth as a hard filter, given Des Moines' own real, disclosed flat-to-declining 2020-2024 city population even as the broader metro grew.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.