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Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Des Moines vs Cedar Rapids

Des Moines, IA compared with Cedar Rapids, IA · 103 miles apart

Des Moines has 212,086 residents to Cedar Rapids’s 137,935. Des Moines comes out ahead on clear days a year. Cedar Rapids does better on median household income, median rent, homeownership.

Des Moines, IA Cedar Rapids, IA
Population 212,086 137,935
Density (per sq mi) 2,406 1,844
Median household income $65,932 $70,424
Median home value $194,700 $187,100
Median rent $1,090 $967
Homeownership 60.5% 68.5%
Average commute 19.5 min 18.6 min
Median age 34.6 37.3
Bachelor's degree + 29.7% 33.1%
Poverty rate 15% 10.8%
Unemployment 5.6% 3.6%
Price to income 2.7×
Clear days a year 31 28
Days above 90°F 20 8

Highlighted where one city is clearly better on that measure. Population, density, home value and median age carry no highlight — a higher number there is good or bad depending on what you want.

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