Des Moines metro is one of the worst in U.S. for car emissions

State of play: The high number of miles driven per person is the biggest contributor to the metro's low ranking, according to the 2024 report.

• Des Moines residents travel an average of 10 miles per trip, according to 2017 data from Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.
• Out of 100 U.S. metros, Des Moines ranks 92nd worst for vehicle miles traveled, per Streetlight Data. It ranks 86th overall.

What they're saying: Reducing urban sprawl by allowing denser neighborhoods could help, like in Woodland Heights and Sherman Hill, says Alec Davis, founder of Momentum DSM.

• Multiple metro governments have already approved "two-in-one housing" expansions.

The big picture: Cities nationwide are trying to preserve the pandemic-era drop in vehicle emissions as traffic returns nearly or entirely to pre-COVID levels, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Carlos Cunha write.

• The best-ranking cities are located along the East and West coasts, while the worst are in the Central and Southeast United States.