Waukee, IA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Iowa·Waukee

Dallas County · Des Moines-West Des Moines · population 34,420

Growing fast
Waukee, IA
Image: Wikipedia · Waukee, Iowa
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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59
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Waukee stands

Population growing 9.5% per year.

Median home $342,248
1-year -1.8%
5-yr CAGR +2.4%
vs 5-yr peak -2.4%
Population +9.5%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-05$342k$239k$281k$323k$365k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
88/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,615/mo$1,351$1,556$1,762202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent111112100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 17.7
Lean buy

At a 17.7 price-to-rent ratio, Waukee is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
41 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
49 · w22%
Distance from peak
76 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
55 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
46 · w10%
Long thesis

Waukee has held up across the cycle: home values at $342,248 with +2.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Waukee's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Waukee

Waukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, with an estimated population of 34,420. It anchors the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. The population has grown 9.5% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Waukee is $342,248 as of 2026-04, down 1.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.4% annual growth (-2.4% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Waukee average $1,615 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+1.5%). The composite momentum score is 59 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●People are voting with their feet: population growing 9.5% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Held the highs: currently -2.4% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Waukee (Wikipedia)

Waukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,940 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 34,420 in 2024, making it the 16th-most populous city in Iowa. It is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Dallas County right now.

NWS active alerts (IA)Iowa Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Dallas County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Waukee

Bondurant, IA66 · RisingTiffin, IA71 · RisingPleasant Hill, IA70 · RisingAltoona, IA68 · Rising

Run the numbers for Waukee

ToolCan I afford Waukee?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Waukee rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Waukee to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolWaukee cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
84° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
36″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Waukee listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Des Moines-West Des Moines area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$70,500
Iowa state median
Top industries (state-level)
InsuranceManufacturingAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Waukee

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