Des Moines, WA vs Santa Ana, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Des Moines

64.6

#1684 nationally

Santa Ana

63.6

#1759 nationally

Santa Ana leads in walk score (55 vs 41). Santa Ana leads in average commute (26.8 min vs 30.2 min). Des Moines leads in median household income ($81,362 vs $72,458).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Des Moines, WA	Santa Ana, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.6 (#1684)	63.6 (#1759)
Population	31,988	310,227
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$607,792	$869,263
Median Household Income	$81,362	$72,458
Average Commute	30.2 min	26.8 min
Walk Score	41	55
Crime Level	8.1	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	5.4
Cost of Living Index	133	138
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+51.7	D+2.6