Odessa → Des Moines-West Des Moines
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Odessa to Des Moines-West Des Moines is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 93.9 to 91.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $277/mo.
- +$6,984
- BLS median salary higher in Des Moines-West Des Moines
- 395 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.7:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $740
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Des Moines-West Des Moines
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $277/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + $7K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Fewer environmental violations
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 93.9 to 91.7 (ratio 0.98), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $277/mo ($3,324/yr) from $1,595 in Odessa to $1,318 in Des Moines-West Des Moines.
Des Moines-West Des Moines leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Des Moines-West Des Moines sits #145 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Odessa is #289/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $6,984 higher ($62,946 → $69,930). Labor-market size: 73,580 tracked jobs at origin vs 394,120 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Texas 65 (C, #19/51) vs Iowa 70 (B, #8/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
- Income tax
- 85
- Property tax
- 58
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 42
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Odessa to see what you'd need to earn in Des Moines-West Des Moines to maintain the same purchasing power.
Des Moines-West Des Moines metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026