Best PlacesPioneer Park, Des Moines, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Pioneer Park, 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.
Pioneer Park, Des Moines ranks 4,012th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Pioneer 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.
Pioneer Park, Des Moines' strengths and weaknesses
Where Pioneer Park, Des Moines ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where Pioneer Park, Des Moines ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 13% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Pioneer Park, Des Moines
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Pioneer Park, Des Moines home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $57,717; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 Pioneer Park, Des Moines' effective rate of 1.59%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Pioneer Park, Des Moines
Pioneer Park, Des Moines runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Pioneer Park, Des Moines.
Who works in Pioneer Park, Des Moines, and how
Work in Pioneer Park, Des Moines centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Pioneer Park, Des Moines
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Pioneer Park, Des Moines.
What the weather is like in Pioneer Park, Des Moines, month by month
Pioneer Park, 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 Pioneer Park, Des Moines
The nearest airport, Des Moines International, is about 4 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Eppley Airfield, about 121 miles away.
The best schools in and around Pioneer Park, Des Moines
Schools across Pioneer Park, Des Moines average a C+, better than 56% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- River Woods Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Jackson Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Weeks Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- East High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Pioneer Park, Des Moines school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Pioneer 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 Pioneer Park, Des Moines against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Pioneer Park, Des Moines
Is Pioneer Park, Des Moines a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Pioneer Park, Des Moines ranks 4,012th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, affordable childcare, and tree cover, and lowest on a weak job market and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Pioneer Park, Des Moines expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $210,752. The overall cost of living runs about 24% below the national average. Set against a $57,717 median income, cost of living beats 43% of neighborhoods.
Is Pioneer Park, Des Moines safe?
Yes, Pioneer Park, Des Moines is safer than 74% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $311 per resident a year.
Compare Pioneer Park, Des Moines with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Pioneer Park, Des Moines. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Pioneer 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.
Pioneer Park, Des Moines detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Pioneer Park, Des Moines: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Pioneer Park, Des Moines: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Pioneer Park, Des Moines: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Pioneer Park, Des Moines: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Pioneer 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.