Cividian › Iowa › Des Moines
The development read on Des Moines, from verified US Census data and the live Cividian layers. Every figure below is sourced; anything unverified is marked pending, never estimated.
| Measure | Here | Peer median | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population change over 5 years | -1.6% | 2.7% | US Census ACS 5-year B01003 · 2014-2018 vs 2019-2023 · place |
| Median household income | $63,966 | $78,147 | US Census ACS 5-year B19013 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Income per person | $36,459 | $38,099 | US Census ACS 5-year B19301 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Median earnings of working residents | $41,192 | $41,802 | US Census ACS 5-year B20002 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Poverty rate | 14.9% | 12.3% | US Census ACS 5-year B17001 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Household income change over 5 years | 22.4% | 31.7% | US Census ACS 5-year B19013 · 2014-2018 vs 2019-2023 · place |
| Adults 16 and over in the labor force | 70.7% | 65.5% | US Census ACS 5-year B23025 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Unemployment rate | 5.8% | 5.5% | US Census ACS 5-year B23025 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Vacant homes, not counting seasonal homes | 7.1% | 5.0% | US Census ACS 5-year B25004 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Idle vacant homes (not for rent, sale or seasonal use) | 3.5% | 1.9% | US Census ACS 5-year B25004 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Median rent as a share of household income | 28.8% | 31.7% | US Census ACS 5-year B25071 · 2019-2023 · place |
| Home value change over 5 years | 44.4% | 52.6% | US Census ACS 5-year B25077 · 2014-2018 vs 2019-2023 · place |
| Homes the Postal Service reports vacant | The HUD token is not registered for the USPS vacancy dataset. | n/a | HUD Aggregated USPS Administrative Data on Address Vacancies · Polk County, Iowa |
| Homes vacant long term (USPS) | The HUD token is not registered for the USPS vacancy dataset. | n/a | HUD Aggregated USPS Administrative Data on Address Vacancies · Polk County, Iowa |
| New homes permitted per 1,000 residents in one year | 7.9 | 2.9 | US Census Building Permits Survey · 2025 annual · place |
| Business establishments per 1,000 residents | 27.9 | 26.3 | US Census County Business Patterns CB2300CBP · 2023 · Polk County, Iowa |
| Change in business establishments over 5 years | 5.8% | 7.8% | US Census County Business Patterns CB2300CBP · 2018 vs 2023 · Polk County, Iowa |
| Change in jobs at local businesses over 5 years | 7.7% | 6.1% | US Census County Business Patterns CB2300CBP · 2018 vs 2023 · Polk County, Iowa |
| Business addresses the Postal Service reports vacant | The HUD token is not registered for the USPS vacancy dataset. | n/a | HUD Aggregated USPS Administrative Data on Address Vacancies · Polk County, Iowa |
| Average annual pay per local job | $66,459 | $63,100 | US Census County Business Patterns CB2300CBP · 2023 · Polk County, Iowa |
Each measure is ranked against US cities and towns with 100,000 to 250,000 residents (238 in all), flipped where lower is better. Measures average into five categories, the categories average into one composite, and the composite is ranked against the same peers: A is the top 20%, then B, C, D, and F is the bottom 20%. "Thriving peers" is the level at the top-20% line. At least 3 of 5 categories are required. Business counts and Postal Service vacancy use Polk County, Iowa, because neither is published for cities.
Source: US Census ACS 5-year 2023.
1676 residential units permitted in 2025 (vs 618 in 2024).
Source: US Census Building Permits Survey, place-level.
Source: OpenStreetMap via Overpass.
A separate, unvalidated screen for building here, not part of the grade. Pending layers are excluded, never defaulted.
Parcels and ownership, incentive citations, leadership contacts, and a downloadable underwriting memo for Des Moines live inside the terminal.