Buying a Home in Indianola
A genuine small college town south of the metro, with a longer commute and lower prices.
Indianola sits in Warren County, south of the metro proper, and it reads as its own town rather than a suburb — a courthouse square, a private college, and a distinct identity built partly around hot-air ballooning.
The tradeoff is straightforward: more house and more town character for the money, in exchange for the metro's longest regular commute among the areas covered here.
Highlights
- Simpson College and the campus-town atmosphere around it
- The National Balloon Classic and National Balloon Museum
- A traditional town square with independent local businesses
- Lower typical prices than the northern and western suburbs
Indianola by the numbers
Home value, rent & market activity: Zillow Research (September 2026). Income & demographics: U.S. Census ACS (5-year).
Browse current Indianola listings on Zillow →
Renting in Indianola: rent figures, renters and the monthly cost to own →
School choice: who is moving in, and out
Iowa lets parents enroll a child in a public district other than the one they live in (Iowa Code §282.18). The state publishes the counts, which shows something a school rating cannot: which districts families are actively choosing, and which they are leaving.
School district boundaries do not follow city limits. Figures below describe the district, not the city, and the two can differ a great deal: the Urbandale district covers 35.9% of the city of Urbandale's land area, and the Waukee district also reaches into West Des Moines, Urbandale and Clive (federal school district boundary file; see which districts reach which cities). Check any specific address before relying on this.
Source: Iowa Department of Education, Certified Enrollment by District, 2025-26 school year. The bar shows transfers in and out as shares of all transfers, not the net. Percentages are of the public-school students who live in the district (certified enrollment), including those who open-enroll elsewhere. The state counts all of these in full-time equivalents, so the whole numbers here are rounded. A net loss is not a verdict on a school — large districts lose more simply by being large, and families transfer for childcare, a parent's commute and sibling placement as well as for academics.
Schools
Served by the Indianola Community School District, which covers the city and a substantial rural area around it.
Getting around
South of the metro on US-65/69 — commonly 30+ minutes to downtown Des Moines, and the longest regular commute among these areas.
Iowa costs in Indianola
Property tax: one taxing district, $37.36620 per $1,000 of taxable value for the bills paid September 2026 and March 2027. Estimate the tax on a home in Indianola → Indianola rates by district, with example bills →
School districts paired with the city in the Polk, Dallas and Warren county tax tables: Indianola. How districts and city lines differ →
Closing costs: Iowa's transfer tax, recording fees and Iowa Title Guaranty, figured exactly. Iowa closing cost calculator →
Metro context
Source: Realtor.com via FRED · Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA · figures for October 2026.
Estimate buy vs rent for Indianola →
General guide only — verify school boundaries, taxes, and current prices for any specific address. Not real-estate or financial advice.