Most of Des Moines is in Polk County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $33.02 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 24 ZIP codes in Des Moines with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $940 to $1,160 a month. At the middle rent, $1,090, a full-time job would need to pay $33.67 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50301 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50302 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50303 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50304 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50305 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50309 | Polk County | $1,160/mo | $36.16/hr |
| 50310 | Polk County | $1,030/mo | $31.71/hr |
| 50311 | Polk County | $970/mo | $29.75/hr |
| 50312 | Polk County | $1,020/mo | $31.38/hr |
| 50313 | Polk County | $1,050/mo | $32.36/hr |
| 50314 | Polk County | $940/mo | $28.77/hr |
| 50315 | Polk County | $1,050/mo | $32.36/hr |
| 50316 | Polk County | $960/mo | $29.43/hr |
| 50317 | Polk County | $1,020/mo | $31.38/hr |
| 50318 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50319 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50320 | Polk County | $1,070/mo | $33.02/hr |
| 50321 | Polk County | $1,080/mo | $33.34/hr |
| 50363 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50368 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50380 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50391 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50395 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
| 50947 | Polk County | $1,090/mo | $33.67/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Des Moines needs to pay at least $33.02 an hour before taxes, about $68,677 a year. That is the figure for Polk County, where the typical studio rent is $1,070 a month.
Yes. Across the 24 ZIP codes in Des Moines with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $940 to $1,160 a month. At the middle rent of $1,090, the pay needed would be $33.67 an hour.
The minimum wage in Polk County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.6 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads