How serious are America’s mayors? · Incorporated city
Des Moines, IA
213,096 people, 2024 · Census GEOID 1921000 · Census profile · mayors: being verified
Overall in 2023, Des Moines ranked #168 of 340 cities and 11th of 14 in its peer group, on 9 of 9 measures. Weigh the measures yourself · how ranks are made
Its peer group is Des Moines and the 13 cities most like it in 2005 (size, income, poverty, industry, growth, density, place), fixed since: Boise ID, Little Rock AR, Lexington KY, Modesto CA, Madison WI, Sioux Falls SD, Reno NV, Clarksville TN, Fort Wayne IN, Lincoln NE, Huntsville AL, Hampton VA, Salt Lake City UT · on the map, and why
| Topline | 2005–2024 | Latest rank | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rankamong all cities with a score that year | #168 of 340 cities · 11th of 14 in its peer group · 2023 | #177 | #131 | #169 | #117 | #168 | #86 | #184 | #181 | #159 | #173 | #172 | #114 | #135 | #75 | #184 | #270 | #85 | #121 | #168 | #184 | |
| people · size, not ranked | 199,012 | 200,109 | 201,274 | 202,121 | 202,798 | 205,032 | 207,924 | 210,244 | 212,026 | 214,350 | 215,243 | 216,308 | 216,662 | 215,994 | 214,237 | 213,769 | 212,539 | 210,950 | 211,088 | 213,096 | ||
| net movers per 100 residents · estimate · higher is better | #70 of 340 cities · 5th of 14 in its peer group | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.5 | — | +0.3 | +0.3 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.2 | -0.0 | +0.4 | -0.1 | -0.0 | +0.2 | |
| new homes per 1,000 residents · higher is better | #140 of 271 cities with data · 8th of 11 in its peer group with data | 3.9 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.9 | |
| rent as % of income · lower is better | #39 of 340 cities · 4th of 14 in its peer group | 17.4% | 18.2% | 17.7% | 18.0% | 19.1% | 19.7% | 20.3% | 19.3% | 19.5% | 18.8% | 19.1% | 19.4% | 19.1% | 18.8% | 19.4% | — | 18.1% | 20.3% | 21.2% | 19.7% | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #124 of 304 cities with data · 5th of 14 in its peer group | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 5.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 8.8 | 6.5 | 12.9 | 1.4 | 6.5 | 15.4 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 4.2 | |
| per 100,000 residents · lower is better | #202 of 295 cities with data · 10th of 13 in its peer group with data | 63.3 | 59.0 | 66.1 | 62.3 | 47.8 | 65.8 | 70.2 | 59.9 | 67.4 | 79.8 | 56.7 | 83.2 | 79.4 | — | 73.8 | 80.9 | 60.2 | — | 100.0 | 99.0 | |
| jobs · size, not ranked | 136,094 | 140,249 | 135,535 | 140,651 | 134,524 | 136,432 | 139,129 | 137,152 | 137,701 | 139,546 | 139,385 | 143,957 | 144,964 | 145,832 | 143,881 | 135,230 | 129,705 | 134,441 | 131,821 | — | ||
| points ahead of the metro · higher is better | #297 of 329 cities with data · 13th of 13 in its peer group with data · 2023 | -2.8 | -0.1 | -3.0 | +1.0 | -2.9 | +1.7 | -1.0 | -4.2 | -1.8 | -0.4 | -2.4 | +0.2 | -0.5 | -1.2 | -2.0 | -2.3 | -5.3 | -0.4 | -2.7 | — | |
| people · size, not ranked | — | — | — | — | — | — | 97,315 | 102,007 | 107,910 | 103,199 | 110,308 | 111,184 | 113,820 | 112,491 | 109,731 | — | 112,146 | 114,158 | 116,947 | 116,529 | ||
| % of workforce · lower is better | #236 of 340 cities · 12th of 14 in its peer group | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10.5% | 7.8% | 7.7% | 7.0% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 4.4% | 5.2% | 6.3% | — | 5.3% | 4.8% | 4.0% | 5.8% | |
| % of promises funded · not ranked: 38 cities report | — | — | 107% | 98% | 90% | 81% | 74% | 73% | 85% | 86% | 89% | 87% | 85% | 85% | 86% | 87% | 91% | 95% | 94% | 92% | ||
| surplus as % of revenue · higher is better | #234 of 314 cities with data · 13th of 14 in its peer group | 23% | 23% | 22% | 12% | 18% | 12% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 10% | 22% | 27% | 25% | 21% | 26% | 30% | 28% | 12% | 18% | 10% | |
| dollars per resident · lower is better | #214 of 314 cities with data · 11th of 14 in its peer group | $3,921 | $3,648 | $4,290 | $4,113 | $4,256 | $3,981 | $4,133 | $3,615 | $3,109 | $3,238 | $3,291 | $3,103 | $3,146 | $3,022 | $3,279 | $3,315 | $3,646 | $3,525 | $3,582 | $3,760 |
Click a row for its source and its rank in every year. 1st is best whichever way the measure points. A rank is out of all 340 cities, or out of its peer group of 14; where some had no value that year it says “with data” and counts only those. An em dash is a year the source does not hold for Des Moines. A greyed homicide figure is a year the FBI holds as a transition year for this department. What each row is, and is not, is on the main page, with a link to every source in Sources.