2025 Compare Cities Economy:
West Des Moines, IA vs Fort Dodge, IA

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Highlights
- Household income in Fort Dodge, is 34% less than it is in West Des Moines and is 37% below the National Average.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
- Fort Dodge unemployment rate is 4.9%.
 West Des Moines, IAFort Dodge, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.9%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth35.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$49,286  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$50,409$69,021
 Family Median Income$105,485  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 West Des Moines, IAFort Dodge, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock13.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock10.9%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.3%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock11.7%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K14.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.0%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock1.9%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 West Des Moines, IAFort Dodge, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance23.2%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock1.8%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.3%1.2%
 Education, library6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock0.9%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.6%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.4%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.5%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock2.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.7%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock17.8%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 Fort Dodge    4 Reviews

Corrupt politicians always scheming to funnel public money to wealthy private interests, creating a welfare dependent economy that will be imploding sooner than later,  More

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Over 10 years ago

Before moving to the Fort Dodge area please consider other options. The city is a decaying town, streets have definitely seen better days and are filthy. There are not  More

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Over 15 years ago

I see that everyone is rather hard on Fort Dodge. I grew up and lived there until I married and (like a failed pioneer) moved east to Gettysburg, Pa. It was the best  More

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