The Des Moines metro region has been named by the U.S. News & World Report as one of the “Best Places to Live”. Rising seven spots in just two years, Des Moines is now listed as the fourth best place to live. This is just behind Austin, Texas, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Denver, Colorado. Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranking 9th on the list is the only other midwestern metro area.
The winners are evaluated in five categories: the strength of each metro area’s job market, affordability of living, quality of life, the desirability of the metro area, and the net migration of the area. The metro areas are evaluated by the United States Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Labor and U.S. News’ own internal resources.
Des Moines was also ranked by the U.S. News & World Report as the 116th “Best Place to Retire”.