Population
Birmingham
199,322
Des Moines
212,464
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Des Moines
$63,966
Home Value
Birmingham
$138,600
Des Moines
$183,700
Rent
Birmingham
$1,047
Des Moines
$1,054
Crime Rate
Birmingham
12.48
Des Moines
7.05
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Des Moines
104.6
Avg Temp
Birmingham
N/A
Des Moines
N/A
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Des Moines
5.8%
How Similar Are Birmingham & Des Moines?
Des Moines is Birmingham's #19 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Birmingham
199,322
Des Moines
212,464
Both cities have similar populations — Birmingham at 199,322 and Des Moines at 212,464.
Violent Crime
Birmingham
12.48
Des Moines
7.05
Birmingham has a 43% higher violent crime than Des Moines.
Property Crime
Birmingham
40.31
Des Moines
31.26
Birmingham has a 22% higher property crime than Des Moines.
Political Leaning
Birmingham
44.2%
Des Moines
43.9%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 1% difference.
Unemployment
Birmingham
6.1%
Des Moines
5.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Birmingham
$44,376
Des Moines
$63,966
Des Moines has a 31% higher median income than Birmingham.
Home Values
Birmingham
$138,600
Des Moines
$183,700
Des Moines has a 25% higher home values than Birmingham.
Education
Birmingham
21.2%
Des Moines
19.3%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Birmingham
25.6%
Des Moines
66.9%
Des Moines's demographics is significantly higher than Birmingham's — 62% difference.
Cost of Living
Birmingham
85.2
Des Moines
104.6
Des Moines has a 19% higher cost of living than Birmingham.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Birmingham and Des Moines share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Birmingham
0
Des Moines
Birmingham leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Birmingham leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBirmingham scores 93.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 115.1 in Des Moines. Birmingham has a living wage (1 adult) of $37,482 vs $46,025 in Des Moines (19% lower). Birmingham has a living wage (family of 4) of $88,594 vs $108,786 in Des Moines (19% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 18.7% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a median property tax of $930 vs $3,445 in Des Moines (73% lower). Des Moines has a owner-occupied of 60.5% compared to 45.1% in Birmingham.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Des Moines leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 25.2% in Birmingham. Des Moines has a median household income of $63,966 vs $44,376 in Birmingham (31% higher). Des Moines has a work from home of 11.4% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Des Moines leads
Source: FBI UCRDes Moines has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.59 in Birmingham. Des Moines has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.75 compared to 2.01 in Birmingham. Des Moines has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 7.05 compared to 12.48 in Birmingham.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Birmingham leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBirmingham has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.2% compared to 19.3% in Des Moines. Birmingham has a high school diploma or higher of 40.7% compared to 38.5% in Des Moines.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a population of 212,464, about 1.1x the size of Birmingham (199,322). Des Moines skews younger with a median age of 34.6 vs 35.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Birmingham
Des Moines
Healthcare — Birmingham leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBirmingham: 3.7 vs Des Moines: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Birmingham: 5 vs Des Moines: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Birmingham leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a work from home of 11.4% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 1.1% in Des Moines. Birmingham has a drive alone of 74.4% compared to 72.3% in Des Moines.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Birmingham, AL
Compare Birmingham against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.