Greater Des Moines is drawing residents from Omaha, rural Iowa and, in the case of former residents returning, from all over the country, consultant-with-data James Chung told the Tomorrow Plan Speaker Series today. 

His presentation using microdata from his private firm and various sources was a love fest for Iowa’s capital city. His only warning was to guard against complacency and to realize that the sharp growth we are seeing among residents in their 30s, particularly highly educated women, is likely to slow. He encouraged leaders to plan carefully to keep Greater Des Moines on the top of many rankings of midsize Midwestern cities. 

The Business Record carried the presentation on Facebook Live. Below, we’ll direct you to a few spots on the recording you might want to check out. See the whole video and Chung’s slides. Also check out our article based on an interview with Chung. 

17:22 Chung met with a global athletic shoe company, where staff members talked of moving back to Des Moines, others considered moving here for the first time, and one mentioned, perhaps jokingly, that the Des Moines market data are so good here the company should move its headquarters to Iowa’s capital.

21:10 If you Google Des Moines, you get hits for stories about how the city has become cool. Chung doesn’t see that with other cities. Usually he gets a standard Wikipedia entry when searching other midsize cities. 

49:12 What happens when artificial intelligence starts taking away some of the jobs in finance, insurance and real estate that currently make Greater Des Moines a powerhouse of gross domestic product?

1:15:29 Tax rates are all over the map around the country and aren’t as much a factor in competitiveness as some think. But having governments that spend wisely helps.

1:22:47 Many cities say they are family-friendly, but young professionals discover that moving to Greater Des Moines is a good economic move, Chung said. Leaders here need to make sure that message gets out, he added.