IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Small city

Living in Grimes, IA

Grimes is a small city of 16,366 people in Polk County, Iowa. It's about 12 miles from Des Moines, IA and 181 miles from Kansas City, MO, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 85°F and winter highs 30°F, with about 34 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $305k and rent runs about $1k a month.

16,366people
$305kTypical home
$1,251/moRent
85° / 30°Summer / winter
34"Snow
237Sunny days
112Rain/snow days

Is Grimes right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Small city of 16,366
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,248 people per sq mi
  • 181 mi to Kansas City, MO
  • 12 mi to Des Moines, IA
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $305k (≈$1,921/mo)
  • Median rent $1,251/mo
  • Median household income $120k
  • Property tax about 1.8% of value
  • 2.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 85°F
  • Winter highs around 30°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 63°F)
  • 237 sunny days a year (89 totally clear)
  • 128 cloudy days a year
  • 40 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 112 days a year with rain or snow
  • 34" of snow a year
  • 11 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 34 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • About average violent crime (356 per 100k), county-wide
  • About average property crime (1,897 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 35
  • 38% of households have kids
  • 8% are 65 or older
  • 51% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 21 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 12 mi to DSM airport
  • 12 mi to DSM (major hub)
  • 52 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 71% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2009
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 984 ft
  • 805 mi to the ocean
  • 246 mi to a big lake
  • 14 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 15 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 41 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 471 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 129 bars within 25 mi
  • 145 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 4 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 29 museums within 25 mi
  • 13 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 39 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 22% of Iowa districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 8 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 27 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 5 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 6 congregations per 10k people
  • 4 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Polk County: D+11 in 2024
  • Iowa: R+13 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • High tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • High flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Moderate heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Grimes

More places in Iowa →