Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Urbandale earns an A, 23rd among Iowa's 140 graded towns. The median household earns $113K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 84% of the country, and its schools outperform 83% of the state's. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. On cost of living, just 22 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse. 51% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Urbandale, above both the Iowa town median (25%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On history, just 11 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse.
Where Urbandale beats most towns.
39,463 counted in 2010 and 45,580 in 2020; an estimated 48,570 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.6% since 2020, after 15.5% 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 Urbandale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 298 in 1920, 45,580 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1904 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Urbandale, 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 Urbandale.
Urbandale has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has household incomes well above the Iowa norm, but it has property taxes about twice the Iowa norm.
16 miles of trail in 47 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Walnut Creek Regional Park, 224 acres with 1 miles of trail. The trail density in Urbandale is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Urbandale | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walker Johnston Park | 1.5 mi | 77 |
| 2. Walnut Creek Regional Park | 1 mi | 224 |
| 3. Northview Park | 0.5 mi | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Urbandale Community School District. Three of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urbandale Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 892 | B− |
| Urbandale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,301 | B |
| Walnut Hills Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 708 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $5,563, against $2,897 across Iowa, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Urbandale home is worth about $350,000, about the same as a year ago, 48% above the Iowa typical home. 78% of Urbandale households own their home.
| Urbandale | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 78% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,211 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
21% of adults binge drink in Urbandale. Urbandale beats the Iowa average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 30% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Urbandale.
| Urbandale | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 26% | 25% |
| What stands out | Urbandale | IA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.9% | 11.6% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 391 to 305 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Urbandale’s property crime rate is 5.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Urbandale | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.1 per 1,000 residents | 7.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Urbandale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Urbandale 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
Most working residents leave Urbandale for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Urbandale has added 5,171 jobs, to 28,116 in 2023. The top destinations are Des Moines (26%), West Des Moines (20%) and Ankeny (5%).
| Urbandale | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 31% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Urbandale. Close and well known come first.
9 mi Stadium & arenaCasey's Center
10 mi MuseumIowa State Capitol15 mi Theme parkAdventureland
6 mi MuseumDes Moines Art Center
7 mi Stadium & arenaDrake Stadium
11 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
6 within 15 miles of the center of Urbandale
About 3 of every 100 Urbandale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
6.6% of the town is conserved land, across 47 parks and preserves.
2 places in Urbandale on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Iowa
Urbandale is a city in Polk and Dallas counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The city was incorporated on April 16, 1917, and was a streetcar suburb of Des Moines. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 45,580. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area and is the 12th largest city in Iowa. Urbandale grew rapidly in the 1960s and 1970s due to post–World War II economic expansion. In recent years Dallas County has been the fastest growing county in Iowa with population increasing more than 50% from 2010 to 2020. Even though Waukee is the main city in Dallas County that has increased population, the western part of Urbandale has also increased its populat…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Urbandale.
| Town | IA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urbandale | #23 | A | C+ | B+ | A− | A− |
| Grimes | #15 | A+ | C+ | — | A | A− |
| Johnston | #25 | A | C− | B+ | A | A |
| Des Moines | #134 | D | B− | D | D− | C |
| Clive | #49 | A− | C | B− | B+ | A |
Grimes reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Urbandale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Urbandale grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #23 of 140 in Iowa. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety 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+.
2 notable people were born here, including Eddie Berlin and Jake McDonough.
