Moving to Des Moines, IA

Des Moines is a fantastic place to live. It's a city that feels small but isn't overly large. It is easily accessible by bike, has many lovely nature paths, a diverse population, diverse cuisine options, and is typically a very friendly place.

Des Moines is one of the best places to live in the United States because of all of these amenities, as well as good salaries and a reasonable cost of living. Friendly communities and quick commutes are further advantages.

Because property is so affordable, Des Moines is routinely listed as one of the best towns for millennials, particularly young homeowners. Iowa currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the US at 2.5%. Generally, the cost of living in Des Moines, Iowa, is quite low.

Most snowfall days in Des Moines leave only a skiff, or less than an inch, of new snow on the ground. On average, at least an inch of new snow falls every 11 days of the year. Snowfalls of more than five inches per day are common once or twice a year.

Des Moines and its neighboring suburbs are huge, but getting about without a car is not hard. The Des Moines Area Regional Transportation Authority (DART) operates 90 buses that travel 15,000 miles per day to and from residential neighborhoods, major shopping malls, schools, and business sites.

From November 28 to March 1, the cold season lasts 3.1 months, with an average daily high temperature of less than 43°F. January is the coldest month in Des Moines, with an average low of 17°F and high of 33°F.

Des Moines is a major insurance sector center in the United States, as well as a significant financial services and publishing company base. The city was regarded as the "number one spot for U.S. insurance companies" in a Business Wire story and designated the third largest "insurance capital" of the globe.

Des Moines, like all cities in the United States, has higher crime rates than the national average. There are more reports of violent crime, property crime, and petty crime, making it riskier to reside within the municipal limits.

Des Moines’s population is 217,343 people. The city stretches across 91 square miles making it the largest city in Iowa. Des Moines is nestled in Polk County Iowa and the city is the county seat of Polk County.

• Des Moines has a population density of 2,465 people per square mile
• The median age in Des Moines is 34 years
• 33.4 years is the median age for males and 34.4 years for females
• Des Moines is currently growing at a rate of 0.49% annually
• Des Moines population has grown by 1.5% since the last census

Des Moines’s average one-way commute time takes 18.8 minutes. That’s lower than the U.S. average of 26.4 minutes. You’ll spend less than 30 minutes commuting to work if you move to Des Moines Iowa. Less time on the road means less stress and having more time for other things

Here’s how people in Des Moines Iowa get to work:

• About 80.6% of Des Moines residents drive their own car alone
• Around 9.8% of Des Moines residents carpool with others
• Up to 3.1% of Des Moines residents work from home
• About 2.2% of Des Moines residents take mass transit

Des Moines averages 204 sunny days per year. The United States average is 205 sunny days. If the weather is one of the key things you’d like to consider before moving to Des Moines, the following is a quick snapshot of the city’s weather:

• Des Moines’s summer high in July is around 86 degrees
• Des Moines gets 36 inches of rain on average per year. The U.S. average is 38 inches
• On average, Des Moines gets 33 inches of snow per year. U.S. average is 28 inches
• Des Moines’s winter low in January is 13 degrees
• Des Moines Iowa gets 108 days of precipitation every year