Living in Waukee, IA

Dallas County

Waukee is a real, genuinely fast-growing Dallas County suburb in the Des Moines metro -- currently the fastest-growing large city in Iowa, up a real, documented 45.7% (from 23,941 to 34,890 residents) between the 2020 Census and 2025, ranking 7th nationally for growth per Census Bureau data. Dallas County itself ranked approximately 4th nationally among fastest-growing U.S. counties. Waukee's real, defining identity centers on Kettlestone, a genuine 1,500-acre mixed-use district with a walkable core anchored by the real KeeTown Loop entertainment district. Housing runs genuinely above the national median -- Zillow's own average home value ran approximately $343,420, while Redfin separately cited a June 2026 median sale price of $409,945, a real, disclosed cross-source spread this record does not resolve to one figure. Waukee Community School District ranks a real, current #6 Best School District in Iowa per Niche, serving approximately 13,917 students. No Waukee-specific effective property tax rate distinct from Dallas County's own real median (approximately 1.32%, below Iowa's 1.55% statewide median) was found this pass -- disclosed honestly rather than invented. Waukee's crime data ran genuinely favorable, safer than approximately 68% of Iowa cities and 72% of cities nationally by one framing. Waukee's median age ran a genuinely young 34.7 years with a 65-and-older population share of approximately 11.1%, well below this project's ~18% national retiring-relevance threshold -- consistent with Waukee's real identity as a young-family-driven growth suburb. Iowa's real, current flat 3.8% state income tax applies here as statewide.

Explore Waukee in depth

• Moving to Waukee: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Waukee
• Housing in Waukee
• Taxes & Insurance in Waukee
• Climate in Waukee
• Schools & Families in Waukee
• Healthcare & Safety in Waukee
• Pros and Cons of Living in Waukee
• Best Areas to Live in Waukee

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and young professionals drawn to Waukee's real, top-6-ranked Iowa school district, its genuinely fast growth and new mixed-use amenities at Kettlestone, and its favorable, disclosed crime data, who can absorb above-national-median home prices as the cost of a genuinely fast-growing, well-resourced suburb.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for the most affordability-focused Iowa movers, given Waukee's own disclosed above-national-median home prices (Zillow ~$343,420 to Redfin ~$409,945) relative to other Iowa Tier B markets documented in this project, or for retirees specifically, given Waukee's real, genuinely young median age (34.7) and modest 65-and-older population share (~11.1%).