2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Federal Way, WA vs West Des Moines, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in West Des Moines, is 5% more than it is in Federal Way and is 10% above the National Average.
- Federal Way unemployment rate is 7.1%.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
 Federal Way, WAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth39.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes10.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$34,474  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$76,564$69,021
 Family Median Income$85,369  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Federal Way, WAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K2.8%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K6.7%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K12.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock10.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Federal Way, WAWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance15.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.2%6.5%
 Community, social services1.7%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.6%1.2%
 Education, library4.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology3.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.5%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support20.4%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair9.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.9%13.1%
Reviews for Federal Way    14 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

A suburb of The Emerald City (Seattle, WA), Federal Way has become yet another go-to place for affluent travelers and transplants from states all over the nation. The  More

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I want to move my family to austin i havent bin there but we want some ware housing is affortable i have four boys age 6,3,2 and a baby of 2 months and ware theres jobs  More

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I have lived in Brooklyn NY, West Palm Beach & Port St Lucie, FL and now Federal Way, WA. While the cost of living here is higher than Florida, it is definitely lower  More

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Reviews for West Des Moines    4 Reviews

Over 16 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 16 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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