Population
Des Moines
32,545
Lafayette
30,471
Median Income
Des Moines
$89,787
Lafayette
$110,431
Home Value
Des Moines
$539,800
Lafayette
$647,600
Rent
Des Moines
$1,727
Lafayette
$2,042
Crime Rate
Des Moines
2.97
Lafayette
2.73
Cost of Living
Des Moines
163.6
Lafayette
178.6
Avg Temp
Des Moines
N/A
Lafayette
N/A
Unemployment
Des Moines
7.2%
Lafayette
3.8%
How Similar Are Des Moines & Lafayette?
Lafayette is Des Moines's #17 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Des Moines
32,545
Lafayette
30,471
Both cities have similar populations — Des Moines at 32,545 and Lafayette at 30,471.
Violent Crime
Des Moines
2.97
Lafayette
2.73
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.
Property Crime
Des Moines
28.49
Lafayette
26.81
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.
Political Leaning
Des Moines
22.5%
Lafayette
20.8%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
Des Moines
7.2%
Lafayette
3.8%
Des Moines has a 47% higher unemployment than Lafayette.
Median Income
Des Moines
$89,787
Lafayette
$110,431
Lafayette has a 19% higher median income than Des Moines.
Home Values
Des Moines
$539,800
Lafayette
$647,600
Lafayette has a 17% higher home values than Des Moines.
Education
Des Moines
23.3%
Lafayette
47.1%
Lafayette's education is significantly higher than Des Moines's — 51% difference.
Demographics
Des Moines
49.1%
Lafayette
79.3%
Lafayette has a 38% higher demographics than Des Moines.
Cost of Living
Des Moines
163.6
Lafayette
178.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 8% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Des Moines and Lafayette share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Des Moines
0
Lafayette
Lafayette leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Des Moines leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLafayette scores 114.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 137.3 in Des Moines. Lafayette has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,795 vs $2,146 in Des Moines (20% lower). Lafayette has a fair market rent (2br) of $2,124 vs $2,501 in Des Moines (18% 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 — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a vacancy rate of 2.0% compared to 5.3% in Des Moines. Lafayette has a median property tax of $3,066 vs $5,467 in Des Moines (78% lower). Lafayette has a single-family homes of 72.4% compared to 59.6% in Des Moines.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lafayette leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLafayette has a unemployment rate of 3.8% compared to 7.2% in Des Moines. Lafayette has a poverty rate of 6.1% compared to 10.7% in Des Moines. Lafayette has a work from home of 27.7% compared to 12.6% in Des Moines.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lafayette leads
Source: FBI UCRLafayette has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.20 compared to 1.04 in Des Moines. Lafayette has a property crime clearance of 23.3% compared to 7.0% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.15 compared to 4.89 in Lafayette.
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 — Lafayette leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLafayette has a bachelor's degree or higher of 47.1% compared to 23.3% in Des Moines. Lafayette has a high school diploma or higher of 55.0% compared to 40.9% 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 32,545, about 1.1x the size of Lafayette (30,471). Des Moines skews younger with a median age of 37.5 vs 39.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Des Moines
Lafayette
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareLafayette: 4.3 vs Des Moines: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Des Moines: 5 vs Lafayette: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDes Moines has a public transit of 6.1% compared to 2.0% in Lafayette. Lafayette has a bicycle of 0.7% compared to 0.1% in Des Moines. Lafayette has a work from home of 27.7% compared to 12.6% in Des Moines.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Des Moines, WA
Compare Des Moines 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.