Best Places50213, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50213, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
50213 ranks 16,728th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 50213
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.
50213's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50213 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$668 a month, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 50213 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 56 pleasant days a year, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50213
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50213 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $75,300, 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 50213's effective rate of 1.38%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50213
50213's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 50213.
Who works in 50213, and how
Work in 50213 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 50213
50213 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 65% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 84% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 50213 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 50213, month by month
50213 sees roughly 56 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 25° | 18° |
| April | 64° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 87° | 76° | 66° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 50213
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 112 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50213
Schools across 50213 average a B+, better than 73% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Interstate 35 Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Murray Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Clarke Community Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Interstate 35 Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Clarke Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Clarke Community High SchoolA− · 60% proficient
- Murray Jr/sr HighB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50213 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50213 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 50213 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50213
Is 50213 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50213 ranks 16,728th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, civic engagement, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on noise and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50213 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $176,137. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $75,300 median income, cost of living beats 59% of zip codes.
Is 50213 safe?
Yes, 50213 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $277 per resident a year.
Compare 50213 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50213. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50213 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.
50213 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50213: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50213: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50213: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50213: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50213 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.