Best Places50238, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 50238, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
50238 ranks 20,807th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 50238
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.
50238's strengths and weaknesses
Where 50238 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 83% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 50238 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 50238
A household needs to earn about $25,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 50238 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $60,237, 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 50238's effective rate of 1.09%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 50238
50238 runs older than the country, 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 50238.
Who works in 50238, and how
Work in 50238 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 50238
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 50238.
What the weather is like in 50238, month by month
50238 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 24° | 17° |
| April | 63° | 51° | 41° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 65° | 53° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 50238
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 46 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 141 miles away.
The best schools in and around 50238
Schools across 50238 average an A−, better than 83% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wayne Elementary SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Van Allen Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chariton Middle SchoolA+ · 68% proficient
Top high schools
- Wayne Community Jr-sr High SchoolA · 70% proficient
- Chariton High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 50238 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
50238 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 50238 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 50238
Is 50238 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 50238 ranks 20,807th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, a strong job market, and good schools, and lowest on the weather and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 50238 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $92,975. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $60,237 median income, cost of living beats 32% of zip codes.
Is 50238 safe?
Yes, 50238 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $260 per resident a year.
Compare 50238 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 50238. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 50238 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.
50238 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 50238: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 50238: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 50238: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 50238: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
50238 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.