Waukee and Johnston receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Waukee
Johnston
Opportunity
88 · Top 1%
vs86 · Top 2%
Growth
77 · Top 8%
vs72 · Top 14%
Climate
59 · Bottom 10%
vs59 · Bottom 10%
Physical resilience
76 · Top 30%
vs88 · Top 13%
Housing affordability
95 · Top 20%
vs95 · Top 20%
Schools
75 · Top 20%
vs78 · Top 16%
Access
89 · Bottom 40%
vs94 · Top 43%
Economic stability
79 · Top 9%
vs69 · Top 31%
Measured values
| Metric | Waukee | Johnston | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 29,236 | 24,384 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $101,029 | $106,551 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $55,193 | $57,529 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 1,335/sq mi | 1,251/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $350,500 | $369,100 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,383 | $1,338 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 66.5% | 70.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% | 3.1% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 0.2% | 0.3% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 58.0% | 57.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 7.4% | 10.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 818 | 178 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 28.0 | 7.3 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | -6.5% | 42.4% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 86°F | 86°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 14°F | 14°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 36.5" | 36.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 12 mi | 11 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 20.9 min | 21.7 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 34.7 | 37.4 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 11 | 8 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 16.70 | 16.13 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 79.4% | 80.3% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 78.3% | 77.0% | 2019-20 school year |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility | 19.9% | 25.1% | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Waukee
Elevated or high exposure: drought, tornado, heat wave.
Johnston
Elevated or high exposure: strong wind, tornado.
Full profiles: Waukee, IA · Johnston, IA · How this is calculated: methodology