Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 17,405, founded in 1881. Public schools that outperform most of Iowa.
Trash & recyclingYes, by almost any measure. Grimes earns an A+, 15th of 140 graded towns in Iowa. The median household earns $120K, its schools rank ahead of 88% of Iowa towns, and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 83% of the country. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. 7.3% of residents are 65 or older in Grimes, below both Iowa’s towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). Only 25 of Iowa’s 276 towns score lower on cost of living.
Where Grimes beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Heritage Elementary | PK–4 | 530 |
| South Prairie Elementary | K–4 | 436 |
| North Ridge Elementary | K–4 | 412 |
8,246 counted in 2010 and 15,392 in 2020; an estimated 17,405 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 12.2% since 2020, after 86.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Grimes is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 186 in 1900, a low of 186 in 1900, 15,392 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1908 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Grimes. Close and well known come first.
11 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
12 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol16 mi Theme parkAdventureland
9 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
9 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium
14 mi Zoo & aquariumBlank Park ZooCasey's Center: Iowahwyman at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Iowa State Capitol: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Des Moines Art Center: Nhandler at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drake Stadium: U.S. Navy photo by James Woods, Public domain · Blank Park Zoo: Lawrence Lansing, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Grimes, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Grimes.
Grimes trades workers with Des Moines and other neighbors, has less heart disease than most of Iowa and has household incomes well above the Iowa norm.
Its public schools are run by the Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dallas Center-Grimes High School, with 1,073 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC-G Oak ViewLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 537 | A |
| Dallas Center-Grimes High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,073 | A− |
| North Ridge ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 412 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $5,377, against $2,897 across Iowa, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Grimes home is worth about $349,000, down 0.9% in a year, 48% above the Iowa typical home. Among 137 Iowa towns, just 10 have a higher median rent than Grimes.
| Grimes | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,251 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 70% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Iowa is heart disease: 4% of its 10,740 adults have heart disease, against 6.6% statewide. Against the 5,744 U.S. towns with household incomes like Grimes’s, it is healthier than 62%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of adults binge drink in Grimes. Grimes beats the Iowa average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Grimes.
| Grimes | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 35% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.5% | 12% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Grimes | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 6.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 23.8% | 20.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The FEMA risk score in Grimes is 13 of 100. Since 2010, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Grimes.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Grimes has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 13° and about 38 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Grimes has about as many jobs (7,868) as working residents, but only 783 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 4,199 in 2013 to 7,868.
Most working residents leave Grimes for work: only 9% work in town. 4.4% of Grimes residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Grimes grew to 7,868 in 2023, 3,669 more than in 2013.
| Grimes | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $120,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.1% | 31% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Grimes | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Waterworks Park | 0.1 mi | 10 |
| 2. Beaverbrooke South Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Glenstone Park | 0.1 mi | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
6 within 15 miles of the center of Grimes
About 4 of every 100 Grimes residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
4 notable people were born in Grimes.
City in Iowa, United States
Grimes is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 15,392 at the time of the 2020 Census. Grimes is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Grimes.
Grimes reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Grimes with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Grimes grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #15 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A− for health and A for schools.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($85,890 across the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
4 notable people were born here, including Brandon Fricke and Brett Moffitt.
