Winston-Salem, NC vs Des Moines, IA — Compare Cost of Living, Housing, Crime & More

Population

Winston-Salem

250,887

Des Moines

212,464

Median Income

Winston-Salem

$57,673

Des Moines

$63,966

Home Value

Winston-Salem

$208,200

Des Moines

$183,700

Rent

Winston-Salem

$1,033

Des Moines

$1,054

Crime Rate

Winston-Salem

8.10

Des Moines

7.05

Cost of Living

Winston-Salem

98.4

Des Moines

104.6

Avg Temp

Winston-Salem

N/A

Des Moines

N/A

Unemployment

Winston-Salem

5.9%

Des Moines

5.8%

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How Similar Are Winston-Salem & Des Moines?

Des Moines is Winston-Salem's #12 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Winston-Salem

250,887

Des Moines

212,464

Different · 15% difference

Winston-Salem has a 15% larger population than Des Moines.

Violent Crime

Winston-Salem

8.10

Des Moines

7.05

Different · 13% difference

🚨

Winston-Salem has a 13% higher violent crime than Des Moines.

Property Crime

🔒

Winston-Salem

29.21

Des Moines

31.26

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.

Political Leaning

Winston-Salem

42.8%

Des Moines

43.9%

Match · 3% difference

🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 3% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Winston-Salem

5.9%

Des Moines

5.8%

Match · 3% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.

Median Income

Winston-Salem

$57,673

Des Moines

$63,966

Match · 10% difference

💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Winston-Salem

$208,200

Des Moines

$183,700

Different · 12% difference

Winston-Salem has a 12% higher home values than Des Moines.

Education

Winston-Salem

24.1%

Des Moines

19.3%

Different · 20% difference

🎓

Winston-Salem has a 20% higher education than Des Moines.

Demographics

🌍

Winston-Salem

48.7%

Des Moines

66.9%

Different · 27% difference

Des Moines has a 27% higher demographics than Winston-Salem.

Cost of Living

Winston-Salem

98.4

Des Moines

104.6

Match · 6% difference

💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.

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

At a Glance

Winston-Salem

vsof 8

Des Moines

Winston-Salem leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability

Winston-Salem

Housing Market

Winston-Salem

Jobs & Economy

Des Moines

Crime & Safety

Des Moines

Weather & Climate

Tied

Schools & Education

Winston-Salem

Healthcare

Winston-Salem

Transportation & Commute

Winston-Salem

Cost of Living & Affordability — Winston-Salem leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Winston-Salem scores 88.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 97.8 in Des Moines. Winston-Salem has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,232 vs $1,318 in Des Moines (7% lower). Winston-Salem has a living wage (family of 4) of $102,314 vs $108,786 in Des Moines (6% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Winston-Salem98.4

★

Des Moines104.6

Housing Index

Winston-Salem109.9

★

Des Moines115.1

Food Index

Winston-Salem94.1

★

Des Moines98.9

Transportation Index

Winston-Salem88.2

★

Des Moines97.8

Healthcare Index

Winston-Salem95.3

★

Des Moines99.1

Utilities Index

Winston-Salem98.4

★

Des Moines102.4

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Winston-Salem$43,287

★

Des Moines$46,025

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Winston-Salem$102,314

★

Des Moines$108,786

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Winston-Salem$1,082

★

Des Moines$1,109

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Winston-Salem$1,232

★

Des Moines$1,318

Housing Market — Winston-Salem leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a vacancy rate of 7.6% compared to 11.6% in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem has a median property tax of $1,964 vs $3,445 in Des Moines (43% lower). Winston-Salem has a median home value of $208,200 vs $183,700 in Des Moines (13% higher).

Median Home Value

Winston-Salem$208,200

★

Des Moines$183,700

Median Rent

Winston-Salem$1,033

★

Des Moines$1,054

Median Property Tax

Winston-Salem$1,964

★

Des Moines$3,445

Owner-Occupied

Winston-Salem54.6%

Des Moines60.5%

★

Vacancy Rate

Winston-Salem11.6%

Des Moines7.6%

★

Single-Family Homes

Winston-Salem65.9%

★

Des Moines65.5%

Jobs & Economy — Des Moines leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a poverty rate of 14.9% compared to 17.9% in Winston-Salem. Des Moines has a median household income of $63,966 vs $57,673 in Winston-Salem (10% higher). Des Moines has a private sector of 94.2% compared to 86.5% in Winston-Salem.

Median Household Income

Winston-Salem$57,673

Des Moines$63,966

★

Per Capita Income

Winston-Salem$35,074

Des Moines$36,459

★

Poverty Rate

Winston-Salem17.9%

Des Moines14.9%

★

Unemployment Rate

Winston-Salem5.9%

Des Moines5.8%

★

Labor Force

Winston-Salem122,917

★

Des Moines119,617

Mean Commute

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Work from Home

Winston-Salem12.3%

★

Des Moines11.4%

Private Sector

Winston-Salem86.5%

Des Moines94.2%

★

Government Sector

Winston-Salem41.8%

Des Moines45.0%

★

Crime & Safety — Des Moines leads

Source: FBI UCR

Des Moines has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.04 compared to 0.11 in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem has a property crime clearance of 16.8% compared to 8.1% in Des Moines. Winston-Salem has a violent crime clearance of 44.7% compared to 28.9% in Des Moines.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem8.10

Des Moines7.05

★

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem29.21

★

Des Moines31.26

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem0.11

Des Moines0.04

★

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem0.97

Des Moines0.75

★

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem6.55

Des Moines5.73

★

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem5.70

Des Moines4.63

★

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Winston-Salem19.97

★

Des Moines21.42

Violent Crime Clearance

Winston-Salem44.7%

★

Des Moines28.9%

Property Crime Clearance

Winston-Salem16.8%

★

Des Moines8.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Avg Annual High

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Avg Annual Low

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Annual Rainfall

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Annual Snowfall

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Avg Humidity

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Schools & Education — Winston-Salem leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Winston-Salem has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.1% compared to 19.3% in Des Moines. Winston-Salem has a high school diploma or higher of 39.5% compared to 38.5% in Des Moines.

Public Schools

Winston-Salem0

Des Moines0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Colleges & Universities

Winston-Salem0

Des Moines0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Winston-Salem24.1%

★

Des Moines19.3%

High School Diploma or Higher

Winston-Salem39.5%

★

Des Moines38.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Winston-Salem has a population of 250,887, about 1.2x the size of Des Moines (212,464). Des Moines skews younger with a median age of 34.6 vs 35.6.

Population

Winston-Salem250,887

Des Moines212,464

Median Age

Winston-Salem36

Des Moines35

Avg Household Size

Winston-Salem2.4

Des Moines2.3

Married Population

Winston-Salem34.0%

Des Moines33.2%

Foreign Born

Winston-Salem10.7%

Des Moines14.0%

White

Winston-Salem48.7%

Des Moines66.9%

Black

Winston-Salem32.4%

Des Moines12.0%

Hispanic

Winston-Salem17.9%

Des Moines16.0%

Asian

Winston-Salem2.3%

Des Moines6.2%

Winston-Salem

Des Moines

Healthcare — Winston-Salem leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Winston-Salem: 3.8 vs Des Moines: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Winston-Salem5

Des Moines5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Winston-Salem3.8

★

Des Moines2.8

With Emergency Services

Winston-Salem4

Des Moines4

Transportation & Commute — Winston-Salem leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Des Moines has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.3% in Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem has a work from home of 12.3% compared to 11.4% in Des Moines. Winston-Salem has a drive alone of 73.2% compared to 72.3% in Des Moines.

Mean Commute Time

Winston-SalemN/A

Des MoinesN/A

Drive Alone

Winston-Salem73.2%

★

Des Moines72.3%

Public Transit

Winston-Salem1.2%

★

Des Moines1.1%

Bicycle

Winston-Salem0.3%

Des Moines0.4%

★

Work from Home

Winston-Salem12.3%

★

Des Moines11.4%

Airports

Winston-Salem0

Des Moines0

Cities Similar to Winston-Salem, NC

Compare Winston-Salem 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.

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