Rank

2140of 3,144

Des Moines, Iowa

Score 5.92 / 10· population 38,253

About 38,300 people live in Des Moines, Iowa. It ranks #2,140 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #93 of 99 in Iowa. The combined sales tax is 7%, higher than in 56% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.36% of a home's value each year, more than in 89% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 60% of counties. The homicide rate is higher than in 59% of counties. Life expectancy is about 75.9 years, longer than in 51% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 77% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 46), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 58% of counties. On this site's state scores, Iowa gets 6.91 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 10 of 10 for gun rights.

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values