Best PlacesBloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines ranks 1,106th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
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.
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines' strengths and weaknesses
Where Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- TransitBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 33% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $99,590, 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 Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines' effective rate of 1.84%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines.
Who works in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, and how
Work in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines centers on finance & insurance and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines has more parkland per resident than 95% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, month by month
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 34, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May, June, August, and September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 23° | 15° |
| April | 66° | 51° | 39° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 66° |
| October | 68° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 121 miles away.
The best schools in and around Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
Schools across Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines average a B−, better than 68% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Carlisle Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- River Woods Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Jackson Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Carlisle Middle SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Weeks Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Mccombs Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Carlisle High SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Lincoln High SchoolB · 48% proficient
- East High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines 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 Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines
Is Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines ranks 1,106th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, low crime, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on walkability and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $205,288. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $99,590 median income, cost of living beats 88% of neighborhoods.
Is Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines safe?
Yes, Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines is safer than 95% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $197 per resident a year.
Compare Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines 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.
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines 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.