2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Arlington, VA vs West Des Moines, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in West Des Moines, is 40% less than it is in Arlington and is 10% above the National Average.
- Arlington unemployment rate is 4.0%.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
 Arlington, VAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth39.1%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$77,535  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$76,564$69,021
 Family Median Income$171,820  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Arlington, VAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K1.5%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K3.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K4.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.8%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K14.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock10.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Arlington, VAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance33.3%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.2%6.5%
 Community, social services1.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.6%1.2%
 Education, library5.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.1%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support12.5%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair3.0%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.9%13.1%
Reviews for Arlington    36 Reviews

Lived here 17 years, amazing  More

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Resident for 20 years. There is nothing hidden about Arlington. It is an affluent inner suburb of DC with a highly educated, mostly professional, population. The  More

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We've lived in Arlington for the past 7 years, and have enjoyed it but would prefer a less expensive, more open area. We live in a townhouse in Rosslyn, close to the  More

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Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 17 years ago

I just moved here from out-of-state a few months ago and have been pleasantly surprised by the broad range of activities and amenities available in this medium sized IA  More

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Over 17 years ago

Am contemplating a move to WDM from the East Coast (NYC). Might there be anyone out there that may have experienced this and could offer guidance or comment. Thanks.   More

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We just moved to West Des Moines and we love it here! We moved here three months ago and every weekend we have been able to do something different and fun. There is  More

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