What it's like to live in Grimes
Grimes is a small city in Iowa with rent below the national average, county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Grimes deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, cold, harsh winters, snowy winters, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Short commutes
- Highly educated workforce
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Cold, harsh winters
- Snowy winters — 38" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Grimes compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Grimes
Based on Grimes's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,502
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $50,040 a year
- 27% of Grimes renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$60,940
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $30,470
- Homes cost 2.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 11% below US
$1,251/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,251 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $304,700. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $304,700 · 27% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.7% county unemployment
Unemployment in Polk County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Polk County (county-wide)
Safety
140 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Grimes doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Polk County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 791/100k · Policed by Polk County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 25% below US
20 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 19.6 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 22% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 16°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 43% above US
52% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Bottom line
Grimes's strongest points are rent below the national average and county unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and cold, harsh winters. A year of median rent ($1,251/mo) equals 13% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, remote workers (22% of workers here already work from home), and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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