2025 Compare Cities Education:
Des Moines, IA vs Rochester, NY

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Highlights
- Rochester spends 89.8% more per student than Des Moines.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 24.1% lower in Rochester than in Des Moines. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Rochester had 5.3% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Des Moines
 Des Moines, IARochester, NYUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$27,131$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$11,894  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$13,281$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio15.53  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock6654573
 Students per Counselor362  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock5.6%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.6.4%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock82.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.20.2%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.9%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.28.1%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock8.7%9.3%
 Professional Degree1.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.6%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 Rochester    79 Reviews

Stay out of the rougher patches, and you'll find a pretty solid city. I live within close proximity to it, and the crime from it DOES rub off on us (auto theft), but  More

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Rochester isn't perfect (I'll detail pros and cons), but it's certainly perfect for me and my husband. We've lived here for 4 years and are getting ready to purchase our  More

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Rochester is a scenic city with so much to offer in terms of things to do and having 4 seasons, except the summer is more like a long spring!! It's a relatively unknown  More

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