City · Dallas County, Iowa

Waukee, Iowa

Waukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area. It has 29,236 residents. Waukee, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 99 out of 100 (very high), ranking #219 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #5 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on voter turnout (high), injury deaths (low) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), dentists (low) and pharmacies (low).

99Very high

Quality-of-life score: #219 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #5 of 281 in IA
Population: 29,236 (2020-2024)
Land area: 22 mi²
Density: 1,334.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 1982695

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety87#2,045/15,637
Economy92#1,239/15,631
Housing92#1,159/14,977
Health95#728/15,609
Healthcare57#6,797/15,650
Environment93#1,096/15,453
Education98#346/15,649
Infrastructure93#1,044/15,650
Community91#1,486/15,651
Leisure & amenities43#8,842/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Waukee, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Dallas County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Voter turnout · high84.9%
99/100Iowa 70.3%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionDallas County value
Injury deaths · low44 /100k
99/100Iowa 76 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDallas County value
Rent-burdened households · low32.9%
99/100Iowa 43.9%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Child care cost burden · low17.8%
98/100Iowa 22.9%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDallas County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAADallas County value
New homes permitted · high28.6 /1k
98/100Iowa 4.1 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low46 /100k
5/100Iowa 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDallas County value
Dentists · low29 /100k
10/100Iowa 73 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteDallas County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
12/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDallas County value
Distance to an emergency room · high11.1 mi
13/100Iowa 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesDallas County value
Grocery stores · low1.1 /10k
19/100Iowa 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsDallas County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.53%
20/100Iowa 1.33%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
20,785 (2015-2019) → 29,236 (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
50.9 /1k (2021) → 28.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−44%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 3.5× (2020-2024)
+37%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
38.8% (2015-2019) → 32.9% (2020-2024)
−5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateWorsening
3.2% (2015-2019) → 7.4% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
3.9% (2015-2019) → 8.1% (2020-2024)
+4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Waukee, Iowa improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+3.4 points90.4% → 93.8%

Declined3

Poverty+4.2 points3.2% → 7.4%
Uninsured+2.9 points2.5% → 5.4%
Price / income+0.9×2.5× → 3.5×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Waukee, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.3 min2015-2019	19.8 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	54.4%2015-2019	58.0%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	90.4%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+3.4 points	Improved	22%
Effective property tax rate	1.63%2015-2019	1.54%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
High school diploma or higher	97.9%2015-2019	95.4%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	25%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4222015-2019	0.4282020-2024	+0.006	Within the margin of error	45%
Median household income	$94,5802015-2019	$101,0292020-2024	+6.8%	Within the margin of error	13%
Poverty rate	3.2%2015-2019	7.4%2020-2024	+4.2 points	Declined	15%
Rent as share of income	25.7%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent-burdened households	38.8%2015-2019	32.9%2020-2024	−5.9 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.5%2015-2019	5.4%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Declined	20%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Waukee, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Waukee, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Waukee, Iowa itself moved −5.6 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

29,236 residents (±34)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

11,830 households (±423)

Waukee, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k7.0%829
$25k–50k13%1,483
$50k–75k14%1,705

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

11,830 households (±423)

Waukee, Iowa
Iowa share

Own67%7,868
Rent33%3,962

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−7.4 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

15,933 workers (±755)

Waukee, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone71%11,311
Carpool5.5%†869
Public transit0.0%0

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Dallas County, the county holding most of Waukee's residents.

Dallas County has 2,521 employer establishments, 226 for every 10,000 residents (0.91× the US rate of 248; 0.87× Iowa's), with 46,640 paid employees at an average annual pay of $70,497. The Census Bureau also counts 9,308 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,521; 9,308 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 226; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 46,640
Average annual pay: $70,497; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Dallas County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	201	18.1	0.87×About typical	2,144	$78,031	378
Lessors of real estate	192	17.2	1.40×More than typical	865	$87,386	1,160
Specialty trade contractors	175	15.7	1.02×About typical	1,120	$59,943	518
Restaurants and other eating places	167	15	0.82×About typical	3,279	$23,605	28
Real estate agents and brokers	111	10	2.05×More than typical	146	$79,534	270
Management, scientific and technical consulting	90	8.1	1.20×About typical	603	$92,489	430
Services to buildings and dwellings	89	8	1.19×About typical	2,331	$55,976	356
Construction of buildings	87	7.8	1.03×About typical	309	$62,560	253
Offices of other health practitioners	85	7.6	1.26×More than typical	428	$54,334	186
Clothing and accessories stores	80	7.2	1.98×More than typical	1,125	$21,207	100
Computer systems design and related services	77	6.9	1.60×More than typical	442	$91,600	144
Insurance agencies and brokerages	73	6.6	1.49×More than typical	932	$130,972	266

Rank places for an industry Open Dallas County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 111,321 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $34.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Waukee, Iowa: $1.17 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $34.1K; −26% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1.17; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$42.4K100%

Top recipients

KUDER INC$42.4K100%
COVENANT CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC-$8,3090.0%

Spending by fiscal year

8.6KFY2017
7.4KFY2018
23.8KFY2019
794.1KFY2020
24.6KFY2021
54.5KFY2022
93.3KFY2023
75.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer systems design and related services · 5415$42.4K100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Waukee, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Waukee, Iowa's figures are part of those of Dallas County, IA ($4.8M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Waukee is mostly in Dallas County.

See federal money in Dallas County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Waukee, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Zachary NunnR-IA-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 4.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Dallas County100100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA98

Other cities and towns in Dallas County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1982695

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends