Des Moines has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Des Moines without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Des Moines: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$108,198 median income · $338,168 median home price
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
Ankeny is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Des Moines area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Ankeny.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $108,198 a year, which is the 7th highest in the Des Moines region. And only 1.9% are out of work. Homes average more than $338,168 each.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$91,707 median income · $282,953 median home price
Windsor Heights is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Des Moines for 2026.
It ranks 13th for incomes in the area and only 1.6% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,094 median income · $341,229 median home price
Here in Huxley, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Des Moines metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Huxley.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$120,037 median income · $348,193 median home price
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
Grimes ranks as the 4th best suburb of Des Moines for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Grimes and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$135,674 median income · $330,602 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Bondurant.
Bondurant gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Des Moines area, where houses sell for an average of $330,602. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,722 median income · $332,836 median home price
Located in
Warren County, Iowa
Norwalk is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.4%.
According to online reports, Norwalk is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Des Moines area, meaning you need to get in soon.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$106,551 median income · $394,441 median home price
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Johnston.
Johnston schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 9.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$112,795 median income · $349,851 median home price
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
Urbandale is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 4.7% of people lack insurance, good for 17th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$132,121 median income · $425,730 median home price
Located in
Polk County, Iowa
Is ‘Everything Better In Clive?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$75,453 median income · $309,171 median home price
Located in
Warren County, Iowa
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Indianola.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Iowa’s statewide median.
Iowa statewide median: $75,059
Iowa statewide median: $231,585
Iowa statewide median: 3.6%
On the map
Where the best Des Moines suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around Des Moines for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Des Moines was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Des Moines.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 22 suburbs to evaluate around Des Moines.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 22 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Des Moines.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ankeny.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Des Moines suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best Des Moines Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankeny | 6.79 | 72,615 | $108,198 | $338,168 |
| 2 | Windsor Heights | 7.00 | 5,143 | $91,707 | $282,953 |
| 3 | Huxley | 7.21 | 4,544 | $112,094 | $341,229 |
| 4 | Grimes | 7.50 | 16,366 | $120,037 | $348,193 |
| 5 | Bondurant | 7.64 | 8,560 | $135,674 | $330,602 |
| 6 | Norwalk | 8.21 | 14,183 | $102,722 | $332,836 |
| 7 | Johnston | 10.07 | 24,384 | $106,551 | $394,441 |
| 8 | Urbandale | 10.14 | 46,595 | $112,795 | $349,851 |
| 9 | Clive | 10.36 | 19,012 | $132,121 | $425,730 |
| 10 | Indianola | 11.36 | 16,044 | $75,453 | $309,171 |
| 11 | Adel | 11.57 | 6,430 | $95,250 | $390,598 |
| 12 | Altoona | 12.36 | 21,495 | $86,114 | $317,902 |
| 13 | Carlisle | 12.50 | 4,255 | $109,191 | $286,847 |
| 14 | Waukee | 12.93 | 29,236 | $101,029 | $338,881 |
| 15 | West Des Moines | 13.07 | 71,083 | $86,594 | $320,156 |
| 16 | Madrid | 13.14 | 2,808 | $89,844 | $282,389 |
| 17 | Winterset | 13.71 | 5,416 | $67,708 | $289,608 |
| 18 | Dallas Center | 13.93 | 2,161 | $95,854 | $308,530 |
| 19 | Pleasant Hill | 14.50 | 11,136 | $90,508 | $299,730 |
| 20 | Monroe | 15.36 | 2,120 | $80,375 | $256,161 |
| 21 | Colfax | 16.50 | 2,210 | $79,318 | $191,271 |
| 22 | Mitchellville | 17.14 | 2,579 | $81,172 | $270,079 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 22 suburbs within 30 miles of Des Moines.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best Des Moines ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Des Moines are Ankeny, Windsor Heights, Huxley, Grimes, Bondurant, Norwalk, Johnston, Urbandale, Clive, and Indianola.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Des Moines but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on Iowa? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Des Moines FAQs
What is the best suburb of Des Moines?
Ankeny is the best suburb of Des Moines for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Windsor Heights and Huxley are next.
What are the best suburbs of Des Moines?
The best suburbs of Des Moines are Ankeny, Windsor Heights, Huxley, Grimes, Bondurant, Norwalk, Johnston, Urbandale, Clive, and Indianola. We ranked all 22 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Ankeny?
The median household income in Ankeny is $108,198 and the median home costs $338,168. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Des Moines?
Any place within 30 miles of Des Moines qualifies. 22 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Des Moines suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Ankeny, takes the crown.
