(Shhhhh) 17 Reasons Des Moines Iowa Is....

Iowa is known for "Iowa Nice" or " Field of Opportunities", but did you know that Iowa has been ranked in some pretty amazing " best of the best" rankings for opportunities and places to live. I wonder if these rankings have anything to do with the growth we've been experiencing in the midwest....... Des Moines is one of the best places to live, but don't just take my word for it. I'll be going through what others have to say about Des Moines, IA. 

17 Des Moines, Iowa Metro Rankings

• • • #1 Best Place to Live in the midwest for High Salaries and Low cost of Living, The Ascent-Lyle Daly in 2021
      • -Cost of Living Index is 11.8% lower than the national average
      • -Median Income is 3.6 higher than the national median
      • -Unemployment rate 2% lower than the national average
      • -Residents are more likely to work in production occupations, personal care & service occupations, and food preparation services
• • • #5 Best Minor League Sports Team
      • -Sports Business Journal in 2017
      • -The Iowa Cubs are 1 out of 4 minor league teams prompting the recognition
      • -Principal Park held over 7,763 fans per game in 2017
    • #11 Most Affordable City to Buy a Home, Forbes in 2021
      • -Median listing prices below $200,000 - great for buyers on a budget
      • -Location and amount of space
    • #8 Best U.S. City For Work-Life Balance, Go Banking Rates 2019
      • -Iowa offers a wide range of perks for any lifestyle (Nature, great places for families, and communities interested in arts/education)
      • -Shorter Commute Time
    • Top 10 Most Artistic Medium-Sized City, 2018 Trip.com
      • -Downtown Des Moines is great for walking with the Des Moines and Raccoon River
      • -Heritage Art Gallery
      • -Des Moines Art Center
      • -Botanical Garden & Concert Venue
      • -Temple Theatre
    • #7 Hot Spot For Data Science Jobs, 2019; Burning Glass
    • #1 Metro For Millennials To Buy Homes
      • -On Average have 3% lower earnings for folks 25-44
      • -Home Prices are 38% lower than the national median
      • -Offer Good Employers and Solid Paychecks
      • -A mortgage payment can be less than rent
    • #7 Best City for Living the American Dream
      • -Does not have a good diversity index score but it has a relatively low unemployment rate of 3%
    • #5 Best Affordable Place to Live in the U.S, 2021; US News
      • -Low Cost Living
      • -Residents spend 19.71% of the median annual household income on living costs
      • -Low Housing costs have helped steadily attract new residents as well
      • -Population has increased by 3.6% between 2015-2019
    • #2 City for Young Home Buyers, 2019; Clever
      • -Low Cost Living
      • -Median household incomes are high enough to support the cost of buying a home
      • -City is a hotspot for financial services, publishing companies, and Wells Fargo and Meredith
    • #5 Metro For Number of Economic Development Projects, 2020 Site Selection Magazine,
    • #6 Best City To Work In Tech
      • -Based on the total number of tech jobs, percent of tech workers, and expected growth
      • -Many large Tech Companies: Workiva, BrokerTech Ventures, Dwolla, Inc. & LenderClose
    • #4 Best Place for Children, 2019; SmartAsset
      • -Has a population that is 21.3% children ( 25th highest rate overall)
      • -Housing costs as a percent of income- median person spending 17.81% of their income on housing
      • -Ranks within the top 20 for its low percentage of children without health insurance at 2.15%
    • #8 Top City Whose Unemployment Rate is Dropping, 2021; WalletHub
      • -Unemployment Rate August of 2021 4.70%.
      • -Change in Unemployment Rate August 2021- August 2019 :35.61%
      • -Change in Unemployment Rate August 2021- January 2020 : 41.55%
    • #5 Best Place to Live in the US, 2020; US News
      • -Rated Best place due to desirability, value, job market, quality of life and net migration
      • -City has the best median home value to median income ratio amount similar sized cities.
    • #2 Safest Place to Live, US News 2021
      • -Based on the murder and property crime raters per 100,000 people.
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      • #10 Best Places for Business & Careers, 2019 Forbes
      • -Des Moines is major center for the insurance industry
      • -Maintained a size-able financial service and publishing business base.
      • -The headquarters for Principal, Meredith Group, Ruan Transportation, Insurance, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield are located in Des Moines
      • -We are also home of the Iowa caucuses - critical spot for campaigning

Now you have it! Iowa isn't all that bad. It's actually a great place to live and start a family. If you've been thinking about moving to Des Moines, don't let others tell you know great it is..let the rankings compared to other areas do it for you.If after hearing all of the great things about Des Moines and you are interested about moving but don't know the area reach out we will do our best to find you a great home in an area you'll love.