Best PlacesFairmont Park, Des Moines, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Fairmont Park, Des Moines, 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.
Fairmont Park, Des Moines ranks 3,399th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Fairmont Park, 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.
Fairmont Park, Des Moines' strengths and weaknesses
Where Fairmont Park, Des Moines ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where Fairmont Park, Des Moines ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Fairmont Park, Des Moines
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Fairmont Park, Des Moines home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,541, 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 Fairmont Park, Des Moines' effective rate of 1.56%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Fairmont Park, Des Moines
Fairmont Park, Des Moines'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 Fairmont Park, Des Moines.
Who works in Fairmont Park, Des Moines, and how
Work in Fairmont Park, Des Moines centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Fairmont Park, Des Moines
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Fairmont Park, Des Moines.
What the weather is like in Fairmont Park, Des Moines, month by month
Fairmont Park, Des Moines sees roughly 96 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 32, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 23° | 16° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 40° |
| July | 86° | 75° | 66° |
| October | 64° | 52° | 43° |
Flying in and out of Fairmont Park, Des Moines
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 122 miles away.
The best schools in and around Fairmont Park, Des Moines
Schools across Fairmont Park, Des Moines average a C+, better than 47% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Phillips ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
- Brubaker Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Garton ElementaryC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hoyt Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Goodrell Middle SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Hiatt Middle SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- East High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- North High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Fairmont Park, Des Moines school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Fairmont Park, 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 Fairmont Park, Des Moines against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Fairmont Park, Des Moines
Is Fairmont Park, Des Moines a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Fairmont Park, Des Moines ranks 3,399th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, a stable housing market, and affordable childcare, and lowest on distance from a big city and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Fairmont Park, Des Moines expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $165,619. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $65,541 median income, cost of living beats 58% of neighborhoods.
Is Fairmont Park, Des Moines safe?
Yes, Fairmont Park, Des Moines is safer than 64% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $384 per resident a year.
Compare Fairmont Park, Des Moines with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Fairmont Park, Des Moines. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Fairmont Park, 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.
Fairmont Park, Des Moines detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Fairmont Park, Des Moines: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Fairmont Park, Des Moines: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Fairmont Park, Des Moines: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Fairmont Park, Des Moines: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Fairmont Park, 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.