Metro Life Score
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 87th percentile of the national corpus.
- 59.9
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #52
- of 387 metros
- 87%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Des Moines-West Des Moines is top-quartile composite Life Score — #52 of 387 (59.9/100, grade A-, 87th percentile). Carried by safety at 81/100; held back most by environment at 13/100.
- 87th
- composite percentile
- #52
- of 387 peers
- 65th
- cost dimension percentile
- 74th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · SAFE-LED · signature composite
Des Moines-West Des Moines: top-third composite Life Score
Des Moines-West Des Moines clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#52 of 387, 59.9/100, grade A-, 86th percentile). Stamps UPPER · SAFE-LED; cost CHEAP (65th) · wages HIGH (74th). Safety at 81/100 carries the lead; Environment (13/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ranks #52 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #136 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 91.7 (rent-RPP 84.7). BLS median salary $69,930, 394,120 jobs (Customer Service Representatives, Retail Salespersons, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,318/mo (studio $1,063).
FBI UCR (IA): 238 violent, 1286 property/100K. NCES: 14.1:1 ratio, 0.3% charter. DOL infant childcare $8,306/yr. EPA: 25 Superfund sites (IA).
Where Des Moines-West Des Moines sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
60 Top 13% higher than 87% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 59.9 is built
Des Moines-West Des Moines's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Des Moines-West Des Moines scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IA state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Des Moines-West Des Moines With...
Ranking Context
Des Moines-West Des Moines outranks 87% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #49 | Beckley, WV | 60.1 | A- |
| #50 | Eagle Pass, TX | 60.2 | A- |
| #51 | Baton Rouge, LA | 60.2 | A- |
| #52 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 59.9 | A- |
| #53 | Greenville, NC | 59.9 | A- |
| #54 | Mobile, AL | 59.8 | A- |
| #55 | Rochester, MN | 59.8 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is top 13% highest-quality nationally but only top 35% most affordable among its composite-quality peers -- its Life Score is earned mostly outside the cost dimension, not through being a budget option.
IA Metro Scores
Read with Des Moines-West Des Moines
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Des Moines-West Des Moines (UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Greenville, NC
ABS(composite) peer at 59.9 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Mobile, AL
ABS(composite) peer at 59.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Rochester, MN
ABS(composite) peer at 59.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Beckley, WV
ABS(composite) peer at 60.1 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH.
Pueblo, CO (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's CHEAP.
Michigan City-La Porte, IN (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 65/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · SAFE-LED · CHEAP/HIGH - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Des Moines-West Des Moines's top-third Life Score
Des Moines-West Des Moines scores 59.9/100 overall, but Safety (80.6) and Environment (13.5) sit 67.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Des Moines-West Des Moines's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Ames is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Ames
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.