Best PlacesRiver Bend, Des Moines, IA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around River Bend, 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.
River Bend, Des Moines ranks 5,091st of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in River Bend, 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.
River Bend, Des Moines' strengths and weaknesses
Where River Bend, Des Moines ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 97% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$776 a month, better than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
Where River Bend, Des Moines ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 4% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Household income$42,598 median, better than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in River Bend, Des Moines
A household needs to earn about $42,000 a year to comfortably buy the median River Bend, Des Moines home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $42,598, 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 River Bend, Des Moines' effective rate of 1.37%, 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 River Bend, Des Moines
River Bend, 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 River Bend, Des Moines.
Who works in River Bend, Des Moines, and how
Work in River Bend, Des Moines centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in River Bend, Des Moines
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across River Bend, Des Moines.
What the weather is like in River Bend, Des Moines, month by month
River Bend, 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 River Bend, 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 119 miles away.
The best schools in and around River Bend, Des Moines
Schools across River Bend, Des Moines average a C, better than 34% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Moulton Elementary SchoolD+ · 22% proficient
- King Elementary SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top middle schools
- Callanan Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Meredith Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Harding Middle SchoolC− · 29% proficient
Top high schools
- Roosevelt High SchoolA− · 62% proficient
- Hoover High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- North High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every River Bend, Des Moines school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
River Bend, 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 River Bend, Des Moines against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in River Bend, Des Moines
Is River Bend, Des Moines a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, River Bend, Des Moines ranks 5,091st of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, fast internet, and affordable childcare, and lowest on health outcomes and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is River Bend, Des Moines expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $149,476. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $42,598 median income, cost of living beats 20% of neighborhoods.
Is River Bend, Des Moines safe?
River Bend, Des Moines is safer than 26% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $627 per resident a year.
Compare River Bend, Des Moines with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to River Bend, Des Moines. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in River Bend, 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.
River Bend, Des Moines detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for River Bend, Des Moines: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in River Bend, Des Moines: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of River Bend, Des Moines: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in River Bend, Des Moines: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
River Bend, 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.