2025 Compare Cities Economy:
West Des Moines, IA vs Columbia, SC

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Highlights
- Household income in Columbia, is 36% less than it is in West Des Moines and is 41% below the National Average.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
- Columbia unemployment rate is 5.2%.
 West Des Moines, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.2%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-0.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth35.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.0%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$49,286  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$48,791$69,021
 Family Median Income$105,485  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 West Des Moines, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock18.9%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.7%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock8.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock7.4%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K14.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock11.2%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock7.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 West Des Moines, IAColumbia, SCUnited States
 Management, business, finance23.2%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock5.8%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock2.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.3%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.0%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.4%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.1%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.5%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.4%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock10.1%13.1%
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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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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