Carbondale, IL vs Waukee, IA

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.

Carbondale

73.3

#752 nationally

vs

Waukee

77.3

#263 nationally

Waukee leads in crime level (3.9 vs 27.5). Waukee leads in median household income ($106,846 vs $27,360). Carbondale leads in average commute (14.9 min vs 19.6 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric Carbondale, IL Waukee, IA
WhereAtHome Score 73.3 (#752) 77.3 (#263)
Population 21,592 31,645
Typical Home Value (ZHVI) $146,285 $343,274
Median Household Income $27,360 $106,846
Average Commute 14.9 min 19.6 min
Walk Score 42 N/A
Crime Level 27.5 3.9
School Rating N/A N/A
Cost of Living Index 89 106
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored D+3.5 R+4.8

Data coverage note: Waukee is missing data for 1 metric that Carbondale has. Scores with less coverage are penalized — see our methodology.