Des Moines, IA (population: 200,202) has two math schools within its city limits. Grand View University, the highest ranked school in the city with a math program, has a total student population of 2,039. It is the 606th highest ranked school in the USA and the 8th highest in the state of Iowa (#1 is Luther College).
Math students from Des Moines schools who go on to become mathematicians, math teachers, biomathematicians, actuaries, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. For example, there are 2,770 people working as mathematicians alone in the US, and their average annual salary is $93,920. Also, Statisticians make on average $75,220 per year and there are about 21,370 of them employed in the US today.
Des Moines lies in Polk county, which is one of the 52 counties in Iowa. Overall, the Des Moines-West Des Moines area has 322,000 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 1% unemployment rate, $20/hr average worker wage, and a $42,120 average annual salary.
Of the 2 math schools in Des Moines, none have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, Drake University comes out as the most expensive ($23,091/yr) for math students, with Grand View University as the lowest, reported at only $16,682/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Des Moines |
| Urbandale | IA | - | 1 | 15.697 | 16 | 5.8 miles |
| West Des Moines | IA | 57,065 | 1 | 4.37611 | 3 | 6.8 miles |
| Ankeny | IA | 45,142 | 2 | 40.688 | 102 | 9.7 miles |
| Ames | IA | 58,120 | 1 | 34.322 | 6 | 30.4 miles |
| Fort Dodge | IA | - | 2 | 25.3587 | 65 | 69.4 miles |
| Cedar Falls | IA | - | 3 | 27.7287 | 174 | 88.8 miles |
| Waterloo | IA | 67,011 | 3 | 23.0675 | 66 | 90.7 miles |