Best Places50001, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50001, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
50001 ranks 1,889th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50001
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
50001's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50001 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
- School gradeA, better than 92% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 50001 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50001
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50001 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $101,393, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 50001's effective rate of 1.19%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50001
50001's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 50001.
Who works in 50001, and how
Work in 50001 centers on health care & social and finance & insurance. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 18%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 50001
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50001.
What the weather is like in 50001, month by month
50001 sees roughly 114 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 22° | 15° |
| April | 64° | 50° | 39° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 65° |
| October | 66° | 53° | 43° |
Flying in and out of 50001
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 17 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 127 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50001
Schools across 50001 average an A, better than 92% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Irving Elementary SchoolA+ · 74% proficient
- Whittier Elementary SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Southeast Warren PrimaryA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Indianola Middle SchoolA+ · 75% proficient
- Pleasantville Middle SchoolA+ · 72% proficient
- Carlisle Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
Top high schools
- Pleasantville High SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Southeast Warren Jr-sr High SchoolA · 69% proficient
- Indianola High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50001 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50001 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 50001 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50001
Is 50001 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50001 ranks 1,889th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, what local pay buys, and good schools, and lowest on biking and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50001 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $333,138. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $101,393 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 50001 safe?
Yes, 50001 is safer than 91% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $175 per resident a year.
Compare 50001 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50001. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50001 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
50001 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50001: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50001: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50001: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50001: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50001 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.