Des Moines, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs, with tuition ranging from $4,711 to $22,040 per year for indexed programs. Des Moines has a population of about 32,545. Median household income is $89,787 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 33.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $274,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Nursing Schools to Des Moines
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Des Moines, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Des Moines city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Des Moines.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,869
Avg net price
$9,879/yr
TuitionIn‑state$4,772
Out‑of‑state$5,332
Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Washington schools on the Washington nursing page.
Nursing Wages Near Des Moines
Des Moines is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (BLS area code 42660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Registered Nurse |
$128,260 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$115,446 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse |
$85,690 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$77,129 |
| Nurse Anesthetist |
$274,390 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$246,976 |
| Nurse Midwife |
$162,970 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$146,688 |
| Nurse Practitioner |
$160,090 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$144,095 |
| Nursing Assistant |
$51,990 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
$46,796 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Des Moines at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
32,545 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$89,787 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
33.2% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
111.1 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
| Nursing-related employment in King County |
50,813 workers, 1,001 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Des Moines-Area Cities With Nursing Programs
- SeaTac, WA – 3.7 mi away (28,873 pop)
- Kent, WA – 4.8 mi away (127,514 pop)
- Federal Way, WA – 5.8 mi away (96,757 pop)
- Burien, WA – 6.0 mi away (50,997 pop)
- Tukwila, WA – 6.1 mi away (20,033 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited nursing schools are near Des Moines, WA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Des Moines. The closest is Highline College in Des Moines, WA (0.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Washington-Tacoma Campus (11.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Des Moines?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Des Moines are: Nurse Anesthetist ($274,390), Nurse Midwife ($162,970), Nurse Practitioner ($160,090). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in SeaTac instead of Des Moines?
SeaTac, WA is 3.7 miles from Des Moines and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Des Moines an affordable place to study nursing?
Des Moines’s median household income of $89,787 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Des Moines while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Nursing Programs
Other Programs Available in Des Moines
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Des Moines:
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- Fire Science programs in Des Moines, WA
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- Education programs in Des Moines, WA
- Engineering programs in Des Moines, WA
- Technology programs in Des Moines, WA
- Liberal Arts programs in Des Moines, WA
- Healthcare programs in Des Moines, WA
- Cybersecurity programs in Des Moines, WA
- Accounting programs in Des Moines, WA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Des Moines, WA
- Social Work programs in Des Moines, WA
- Counseling programs in Des Moines, WA
Data verified: September 6, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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