2025 Compare Cities Economy:
West Des Moines, IA vs Gary, IN

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Highlights
- Household income in Gary, is 55% less than it is in West Des Moines and is 102% below the National Average.
- West Des Moines unemployment rate is 3.3%.
- Gary unemployment rate is 13.0%.
 West Des Moines, IAGary, INUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock13.0%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.2%1.6%
 Future Job Growth35.2%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock4.7%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$49,286  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$34,085$69,021
 Family Median Income$105,485  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 West Des Moines, IAGary, INUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock21.7%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K3.0%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock15.1%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K8.3%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock10.4%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.7%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.3%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K14.0%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock7.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K8.8%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock0.8%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 West Des Moines, IAGary, INUnited States
 Management, business, finance23.2%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.5%6.5%
 Community, social services2.2%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.4%1.2%
 Education, library6.4%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock0.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock7.9%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement1.4%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock7.8%5.4%
 Building maintenance1.8%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.4%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support21.2%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.3%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock21.0%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 Gary    8 Reviews

Over 5 years ago

I've lived here for 5 years as a homeless gay drug addict, and I think this place is a real  More

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Over 10 years ago

Been here most of my life left and went to Air Force policies and elected residents are terrible not all there is a few that is really concerned but being that they say  More

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I lived in Gary in 1972 - 1976. I was just a kid but I loved Gary. My family moved to upstate NY and after college I moved to San Francisco, Ca. I will tell you this, I  More

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