Springfield → Des Moines-West Des Moines
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Springfield to Des Moines-West Des Moines is strongly favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.1 to 91.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $416/mo.
- -$2,487
- BLS median salary lower in Des Moines-West Des Moines
- 309 to 238
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 12.3:1 to 14.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $12,265
- DOL infant care lower / 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
- + 4% lower cost of living
- + $416/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + More affordable childcare
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - $2K lower median salary
- - Higher student-teacher ratios
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.1 to 91.7 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $416/mo ($4,992/yr) from $1,734 in Springfield 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). Springfield is #81/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Strongly Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,487 lower ($72,417 → $69,930). Labor-market size: 191,450 tracked jobs at origin vs 394,120 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Iowa scores 70 (B, #8/51) vs Massachusetts at 45 (F, #48/51). 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
- 55
- Property tax
- 65
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 84
- 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 Springfield 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