Population
Fresno
543,615
Des Moines
212,464
Median Income
Fresno
$66,804
Des Moines
$63,966
Home Value
Fresno
$348,500
Des Moines
$183,700
Rent
Fresno
$1,324
Des Moines
$1,054
Crime Rate
Fresno
7.36
Des Moines
7.05
Cost of Living
Fresno
120.1
Des Moines
104.6
Avg Temp
Fresno
65°F
Des Moines
N/A
Unemployment
Fresno
8.7%
Des Moines
5.8%
How Similar Are Fresno & Des Moines?
Des Moines is Fresno's #18 most similar city
3 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Fresno
543,615
Des Moines
212,464
Fresno (543,615) is about 2.6x larger than Des Moines (212,464).
Violent Crime
Fresno
7.36
Des Moines
7.05
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.
Property Crime
Fresno
32.71
Des Moines
31.26
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.
Political Leaning
Fresno
50.9%
Des Moines
43.9%
Fresno leans Republican while Des Moines leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Fresno
8.7%
Des Moines
5.8%
Fresno has a 34% higher unemployment than Des Moines.
Median Income
Fresno
$66,804
Des Moines
$63,966
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Fresno
$348,500
Des Moines
$183,700
Fresno has a 47% higher home values than Des Moines.
Education
Fresno
15.4%
Des Moines
19.3%
Des Moines has a 20% higher education than Fresno.
Demographics
Fresno
38.0%
Des Moines
66.9%
Des Moines has a 43% higher demographics than Fresno.
Cost of Living
Fresno
120.1
Des Moines
104.6
Fresno has a 13% higher cost of living than Des Moines.
3 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Fresno and Des Moines differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Fresno
0
Des Moines
Des Moines leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Des Moines leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDes Moines scores 115.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 154.7 in Fresno. Des Moines has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,318 vs $1,664 in Fresno (26% lower). Des Moines has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,109 vs $1,355 in Fresno (22% 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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFresno has a median home value of $348,500 vs $183,700 in Des Moines (90% higher). Fresno has a vacancy rate of 4.4% compared to 7.6% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a median rent of $1,054 vs $1,324 in Fresno (26% lower).
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 ACSFresno: 255,810 vs Des Moines: 119,617 for labor force. Des Moines has a unemployment rate of 5.8% compared to 8.7% in Fresno. Des Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 20.9% in Fresno.
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 robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.75 compared to 1.68 in Fresno. Fresno has a violent crime clearance of 41.0% compared to 28.9% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.06 in Fresno.
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 — Des Moines leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDes Moines has a high school diploma or higher of 38.5% compared to 29.6% in Fresno. Des Moines has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.3% compared to 15.4% in Fresno.
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 ACSFresno has a population of 543,615, about 2.6x the size of Des Moines (212,464). Fresno skews younger with a median age of 32.4 vs 34.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Fresno
Des Moines
Healthcare — Des Moines leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDes Moines: 2.8 vs Fresno: 2.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Fresno leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFresno has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 1.1% in Des Moines. Des Moines has a work from home of 11.4% compared to 10.2% in Fresno. Fresno has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.4% in Des Moines.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Fresno, CA
Compare Fresno 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.