Population

McAllen

143,789

Des Moines

212,464

Median Income

McAllen

$60,165

Des Moines

$63,966

Home Value

McAllen

$173,800

Des Moines

$183,700

Rent

McAllen

$1,017

Des Moines

$1,054

Crime Rate

McAllen

1.51

Des Moines

7.05

Cost of Living

McAllen

99.9

Des Moines

104.6

Avg Temp

McAllen

N/A

Des Moines

N/A

Unemployment

McAllen

5.5%

Des Moines

5.8%

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How Similar Are McAllen & Des Moines?

Des Moines is McAllen's #12 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

McAllen

143,789

vs

Des Moines

212,464

Different · 32% difference

Des Moines has a 32% larger population than McAllen.

Violent Crime

McAllen

1.51

vs

Des Moines

7.05

Different · 79% difference
🚨

Des Moines's violent crime is significantly higher than McAllen's — 79% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

McAllen

18.36

vs

Des Moines

31.26

Different · 41% difference

Des Moines has a 41% higher property crime than McAllen.

Political Leaning

McAllen

51.0%

vs

Des Moines

43.9%

Different · 14% difference
🗳️

McAllen leans Republican while Des Moines leans Democratic.

Unemployment

💼

McAllen

5.5%

vs

Des Moines

5.8%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.

Median Income

McAllen

$60,165

vs

Des Moines

$63,966

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

McAllen

$173,800

vs

Des Moines

$183,700

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.

Education

McAllen

20.1%

vs

Des Moines

19.3%

Match · 4% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.

Demographics

🌍

McAllen

43.1%

vs

Des Moines

66.9%

Different · 36% difference

Des Moines has a 36% higher demographics than McAllen.

Cost of Living

McAllen

99.9

vs

Des Moines

104.6

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. McAllen and Des Moines share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

McAllen

vsof 8

0

Des Moines

McAllen leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — McAllen leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

McAllen has a fair market rent (1br) of $847 vs $1,109 in Des Moines (24% lower). McAllen has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,060 vs $1,318 in Des Moines (20% lower). McAllen scores 92.0 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 97.8 in Des Moines.

Overall Cost Index

McAllen99.9
Des Moines104.6

Housing Index

McAllen109.3
Des Moines115.1

Food Index

McAllen96.0
Des Moines98.9

Transportation Index

McAllen92.0
Des Moines97.8

Healthcare Index

McAllen96.8
Des Moines99.1

Utilities Index

McAllen99.4
Des Moines102.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

McAllen$43,937
Des Moines$46,025

Living Wage (Family of 4)

McAllen$103,851
Des Moines$108,786

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

McAllen$847
Des Moines$1,109

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

McAllen$1,060
Des Moines$1,318

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 11.4% in McAllen. McAllen has a median property tax of $3,096 vs $3,445 in Des Moines (10% lower). McAllen has a single-family homes of 69.3% compared to 65.5% in Des Moines.

Median Home Value

McAllen$173,800
Des Moines$183,700

Median Rent

McAllen$1,017
Des Moines$1,054

Median Property Tax

McAllen$3,096
Des Moines$3,445

Owner-Occupied

McAllen59.0%
Des Moines60.5%

Vacancy Rate

McAllen11.4%
Des Moines7.6%

Single-Family Homes

McAllen69.3%
Des Moines65.5%

Jobs & Economy — Des Moines leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines: 119,617 vs McAllen: 67,352 for labor force. Des Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 20.2% in McAllen. Des Moines has a per capita income of $36,459 vs $29,406 in McAllen (19% higher).

Median Household Income

McAllen$60,165
Des Moines$63,966

Per Capita Income

McAllen$29,406
Des Moines$36,459

Poverty Rate

McAllen20.2%
Des Moines14.9%

Unemployment Rate

McAllen5.5%
Des Moines5.8%

Labor Force

McAllen67,352
Des Moines119,617

Mean Commute

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Work from Home

McAllen11.5%
Des Moines11.4%

Private Sector

McAllen91.8%
Des Moines94.2%

Government Sector

McAllen39.7%
Des Moines45.0%

Crime & Safety — McAllen leads

Source: FBI UCR

McAllen has a property crime clearance of 24.3% compared to 8.1% in Des Moines. McAllen has a violent crime clearance of 70.9% compared to 28.9% in Des Moines. McAllen has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.64 compared to 4.63 in Des Moines.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

McAllen1.51
Des Moines7.05

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

McAllen18.36
Des Moines31.26

Murder Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.03
Des Moines0.04

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.24
Des Moines0.75

Assault Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.84
Des Moines5.73

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

McAllen0.64
Des Moines4.63

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

McAllen17.05
Des Moines21.42

Violent Crime Clearance

McAllen70.9%
Des Moines28.9%

Property Crime Clearance

McAllen24.3%
Des Moines8.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Avg Annual High

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Avg Annual Low

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Sunny Days per Year

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Annual Rainfall

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Annual Snowfall

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Avg Humidity

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Des Moines has a high school diploma or higher of 38.5% compared to 33.1% in McAllen. McAllen has a bachelor's degree or higher of 20.1% compared to 19.3% in Des Moines.

Public Schools

McAllen0
Des Moines0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Colleges & Universities

McAllen0
Des Moines0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

McAllen20.1%
Des Moines19.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

McAllen33.1%
Des Moines38.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a population of 212,464, about 1.5x the size of McAllen (143,789).

Population

McAllen143,789
Des Moines212,464

Median Age

McAllen34
Des Moines35

Avg Household Size

McAllen3.0
Des Moines2.3

Married Population

McAllen39.3%
Des Moines33.2%

Foreign Born

McAllen25.7%
Des Moines14.0%

White

McAllen43.1%
Des Moines66.9%

Black

McAllen0.9%
Des Moines12.0%

Hispanic

McAllen86.5%
Des Moines16.0%

Asian

McAllen2.9%
Des Moines6.2%

McAllen

Des Moines

Healthcare — McAllen leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

McAllen: 3.7 vs Des Moines: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5). McAllen: 5 vs Des Moines: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

McAllen5
Des Moines5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

McAllen3.7
Des Moines2.8

With Emergency Services

McAllen5
Des Moines4

Transportation & Commute — Des Moines leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a public transit of 1.1% compared to 0.5% in McAllen. Des Moines has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.3% in McAllen. McAllen has a work from home of 11.5% compared to 11.4% in Des Moines.

Mean Commute Time

McAllenN/A
Des MoinesN/A

Drive Alone

McAllen72.2%
Des Moines72.3%

Public Transit

McAllen0.5%
Des Moines1.1%

Bicycle

McAllen0.3%
Des Moines0.4%

Work from Home

McAllen11.5%
Des Moines11.4%

Airports

McAllen0
Des Moines0

Cities Similar to McAllen, TX

Compare McAllen 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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