2025 Compare Cities Education:
Des Moines, IA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Columbia spends 20.0% more per student than Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 1.1% lower in Columbia than in Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Columbia had 3.9% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Des Moines
 Des Moines, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$17,157$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$9,360$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock5744573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock2.2%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock90.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock7.7%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.28.1%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock11.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock3.3%1.5%
Reviews for Des Moines    53 Reviews

Des Moines is a ok and pretty quiet place but as a teen it could be dramatic because Des Moines do have is fair or violents places to avoid in Des Moines would be the  More

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Dude · 
Over 5 years ago

This city is violent, there are too many gangs especially on the north  More

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Over 6 years ago

Good for the old that like slow pace and cheap buffets. Also good for non-descript mid-westerners that don't like a lot of action. No nightlife or mountains to hike  More

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Reviews for Columbia    50 Reviews

Over 2 years ago

I love living in Columbia! I recently graduated from USC and plan to stay. I read the reviews posted here and it shows that like many cities, your experience will depend  More

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Loved living in Columbia, SC prior to my job transfer. It's the perfect size - plenty to do, but still a laid back place. People are extremely friendly, there are  More

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Columbia is such a unique and underrated place. It has a lot of character and history, and good nature trails. Everything feels accessible (by car) and you can get from  More

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