The 10 Best Suburbs In Iowa For 2024


The best suburbs in Iowa are Huxley and Johnston for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Are you sick of being a city slicker?

Do you long for life in suburban Iowa? Where you can drive an overly-large vehicle to the store for groceries and schlep the kids around to practices and appointments without worrying about a parking space.

We do, too.

If you wanted to move out to the suburbs of Des Moines, where would you go? And how would you decide on the ranking factors to help you pick which Iowa suburb was best?

No worries. We got it all figured out here using Saturday Night Science.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


These are the 10 best suburbs in the Hawkeye State

  1. Huxley
  2. Johnston
  3. Urbandale
  4. Clive
  5. Norwalk
  6. Ankeny
  7. Waukee
  8. Windsor Heights
  9. Adel
  10. West Des Moines

Huxley is the place to be when it comes to being a soccer mom in suburban Iowa.

So if you’re thinking of packing up your mini van and making a move to a quiet place to live in Iowa, we’ve got you covered.

Keep on reading for a detailed methodology. Or, check out the best places to live in Iowa and the best places to raise a family in Iowa.

Best Suburbs In Iowa For 2024

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 4,331
Median Income: $120,868
Average Home Price: $321,023
More on Huxley: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Huxley is located 22 miles north of Des Moines.

Johnston, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Iowahwyman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 23,856
Median Income: $98,324
Average Home Price: $374,570
More on Johnston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Johnston is located 9 miles north of Des Moines.

Urbandale, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 45,591
Median Income: $111,888
Average Home Price: $326,786
More on Urbandale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Urbandale is located 9 miles west of Des Moines.

Clive, IA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 18,576
Median Income: $124,908
Average Home Price: $397,338
More on Clive: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Clive is located 10 miles west of Des Moines.

Norwalk, IA

Source: Flickr User Capncavedan | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,057
Median Income: $94,176
Average Home Price: $318,235
More on Norwalk: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Norwalk is located 7 miles west of Des Moines.

Ankeny, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Ashton B Crew | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 68,392
Median Income: $101,151
Average Home Price: $323,344
More on Ankeny: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Ankeny is located 10 miles north of Des Moines.

Waukee, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Iowahwyman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 25,045
Median Income: $106,846
Average Home Price: $337,040
More on Waukee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Waukee is located 13 miles west of Des Moines.

Windsor Heights, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Mikjones24 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 5,200
Median Income: $85,055
Average Home Price: $264,202
More on Windsor Heights: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Windsor Heights is located 5 miles west of Des Moines.

Adel, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Joe Mabel | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,090
Median Income: $91,891
Average Home Price: $389,668
More on Adel: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Adel is located 20 miles west of Des Moines.

West Des Moines, IA

Source: Wikipedia User Iowahwyman | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 68,744
Median Income: $82,345
Average Home Price: $294,330
More on West Des Moines: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

West Des Moines is located 8 miles west of Des Moines.

Methodology:How we crunched the suburb numbers for the Hawkeye State

We have to use Saturday Night Science and look at several metrics to give you the best suburbs in Iowa. We want to measure the type of place around major cities that people arguing at a bar would say makes it the “best suburb.”

First, we had to define a suburb. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Iowa, we looked at every town with at least 2,000 residents, and within 30 miles of a city that’s over 200,000 people.

In other words, suburbs.

We paid particular attention to the following criteria:

  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Population Density (Higher is Better)
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Commute Time
  • Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We ranked each suburb in Iowa across these criteria from one to 25, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the town posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Suburb To Live In Iowa.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and ideal places to live in Iowa.

Read on to see why Huxley is the ‘burb with the most, while Carter Lake is probably not the best place to live in Iowa.

Summary: There You Have It – The Best Suburbs In Iowa

If you’re measuring the locations in Iowa where there are lots to do, and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best suburbs in Iowa are Huxley, Johnston, Urbandale, Clive, Norwalk, Ankeny, Waukee, Windsor Heights, Adel, and West Des Moines.

Here’s a look at the worst suburbs in Iowa according to the data:

  1. Carter Lake
  2. Council Bluffs
  3. Newton

For more Iowa reading, check out:

The Best Suburbs In Iowa

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Huxley 4,331 $120,868 $321,023
2 Johnston 23,856 $98,324 $374,570
3 Urbandale 45,591 $111,888 $326,786
4 Clive 18,576 $124,908 $397,338
5 Norwalk 13,057 $94,176 $318,235
6 Ankeny 68,392 $101,151 $323,344
7 Waukee 25,045 $106,846 $337,040
8 Windsor Heights 5,200 $85,055 $264,202
9 Adel 6,090 $91,891 $389,668
10 West Des Moines 68,744 $82,345 $294,330
11 Altoona 20,017 $89,100 $300,143
12 Bondurant 7,617 $120,588 $319,817
13 Winterset 5,366 $71,411 $258,592
14 Grimes 15,402 $99,896 $330,335
15 Carlisle 4,116 $94,214 $262,569
16 Glenwood 5,128 $65,833 $288,271
17 Colfax 2,186 $81,076 $165,992
18 Madrid 2,784 $74,375 $251,692
19 Indianola 15,845 $73,534 $279,064
20 Mitchellville 2,506 $75,278 $242,697
21 Pleasant Hill 10,456 $81,992 $289,143
22 Missouri Valley 2,692 $61,480 $206,369
23 Newton 15,692 $53,873 $161,059
24 Council Bluffs 62,670 $61,181 $196,527
25 Carter Lake 3,780 $64,479 $171,801
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.