Hot-summer humid continental
Des Moines, Iowa
Polk County, Iowa · Population 212k · 866 ft elevation
Living in Des Moines
Des Moines has a hot-summer humid continental climate: hot summers (July highs around 86°F) and cold winters (January lows around 14°F).
Precipitation is wet at about 37″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (37″ a season).
Skies are sunny (62% of possible sunshine). Summers get sticky, with about 36 muggy days a year.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 44, with about 2 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Des Moines at a glance
- Population
- 212k
- Elevation
- 866 ft
- Average daily high
- 61°F24th percentile
- Average daily low
- 42°F30th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 37″30th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 37″77th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,800 hrs49th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4462th percentile
- Median home value
- $184k29th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,054/mo38th percentile
- Median household income
- $64k36th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.88%86th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 3.8%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 6.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 88%32th percentile
- Walkability index
- 12.783th percentile
- Average commute
- 20 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 51%59th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 50%
- Violent crime rate
- 642 per 100k93th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 2,838 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9254th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 1717th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 0%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 3%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 262 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 14°F | 1.1″ | 9.4″ | 162 hrs |
| Feb | 36°F | 18°F | 1.3″ | 10.2″ | 184 hrs |
| Mar | 50°F | 30°F | 2.2″ | 4.4″ | 208 hrs |
| Apr | 62°F | 41°F | 4.0″ | 1.2″ | 225 hrs |
| May | 73°F | 53°F | 5.2″ | 0.2″ | 268 hrs |
| Jun | 82°F | 63°F | 5.3″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Jul | 86°F | 67°F | 3.8″ | — | 338 hrs |
| Aug | 84°F | 65°F | 4.2″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Sep | 77°F | 56°F | 3.2″ | — | 266 hrs |
| Oct | 64°F | 43°F | 2.8″ | 0.5″ | 209 hrs |
| Nov | 49°F | 31°F | 1.9″ | 2.7″ | 175 hrs |
| Dec | 36°F | 20°F | 1.6″ | 7.9″ | 153 hrs |
Near Des Moines
- Pleasant Hill, IA · 11k
- Windsor Heights, IA · 5.2k
- Carlisle, IA · 4.2k
- Saylorville, IA · 3.6k
- Norwalk, IA · 14k
- Altoona, IA · 21k
- West Des Moines, IA · 70k
- Urbandale, IA · 46k
Largest places in Iowa
- Cedar Rapids, IA · 137k
- Davenport, IA · 101k
- Sioux City, IA · 86k
- Iowa City, IA · 75k
- Ankeny, IA · 71k
- Waterloo, IA · 67k
- Ames, IA · 66k
- Council Bluffs, IA · 63k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology