Des Moines vs Waterloo
Des Moines, IA compared with Waterloo, IA · 91 miles apart
Des Moines has 212,086 residents to Waterloo’s 66,919. Des Moines comes out ahead on median household income, bachelor's degree +, poverty rate. Waterloo does better on median rent, homeownership, average commute.
| Des Moines, IA | Waterloo, IA | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 212,086 | 66,919 |
| Density (per sq mi) | 2,406 | 1,086 |
| Median household income | $65,932 | $57,480 |
| Median home value | $194,700 | $152,600 |
| Median rent | $1,090 | $923 |
| Homeownership | 60.5% | 62.1% |
| Average commute | 19.5 min | 15.9 min |
| Median age | 34.6 | 36.7 |
| Bachelor's degree + | 29.7% | 21.8% |
| Poverty rate | 15% | 16.6% |
| Unemployment | 5.6% | 5.3% |
| Price to income | 3× | 2.7× |
Highlighted where one city is clearly better on that measure. Population, density, home value and median age carry no highlight — a higher number there is good or bad depending on what you want.
Full profiles
- Des Moines, IAClimate, crime, housing
- Waterloo, IAClimate, crime, housing