2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Independence, MO vs West Des Moines, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in West Des Moines, is 42% more than it is in Independence and is 10% above the National Average.
- Independence unemployment rate is 5.7%.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
 Independence, MOWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock3.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock2.7%1.6%
 Future Job Growth28.5%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes7.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$29,042  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$76,564$69,021
 Family Median Income$69,693  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Independence, MOWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock4.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock7.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K11.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.5%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.4%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K13.9%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock17.6%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K4.6%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock10.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Independence, MOWest Des Moines, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance11.7%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock12.2%6.5%
 Community, social services1.3%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.6%1.2%
 Education, library4.9%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.1%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock1.5%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement2.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock4.0%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support23.6%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair10.8%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.9%13.1%
Reviews for Independence    10 Reviews

The ice age sent glaciers sweeping south, ending at what is the edge of the Missouri River. Independence, Missouri, has artesian water straight from this glacial melt  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived here pretty much all my life, and I have to say, I'm ready to get out. I'm not sure if the crime here has just skyrocketed over recent years, or if I was just  More

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Over 12 years ago

Independence, Missouri is just like any other fairly large, fairly old town. A city approaching 200 years old and having nearly 120,000 residents is going to have both  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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