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CITY

West Des Moines

Iowa · 74,224 residents (2025 est.) · 47.3 sq mi
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The short version

West Des Moines is a city of 71,083 people in Iowa. 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Since 2000 the city has risen by half, up 24,680 people. Getting to work takes 18 minutes on average. 57% of homes are owner-occupied. People stay put here: 80% were in the same home a year ago.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.0
US median: 38.9
More educated
55% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
71,083
+53%since 2000
from 46,403 in 2000
74,224 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
1,503 / sq mi
+30%since 2009
from 1,158 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
36.0
+9%since 2000
from 33.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
47.3 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
28K40K51K63K75K19902000201020202024West Des Moines
202471K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(4,418)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(4,368)
US avg: 6%
10 to 145.1%(3,642)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.9%(3,455)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 248%(5,652)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3418.2%(12,928)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.5%(9,606)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.3%(8,063)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.6%(8,228)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.5%(6,041)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.6%(3,288)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2%(1,394)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$86,594
−12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $54,139 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$57,275
+82%since 2000
from $31,405 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
57.0%
+16.3 ptssince 2009
from 40.7% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
8.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 4.5% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.471
+8%since 2010
from 0.438 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services19.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration17.3%
US avg: 4.8%
Information10.7%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade6.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Wholesale trade3.7%
US avg: 6.9%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$309,000
+23%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $137,800 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,237
+1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $674 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
57.4%
−4.7 ptssince 2000
from 62.1% in 2000
42.6% rent
Vacancy rate
5.2%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.19 people
−5%since 2009
from 2.31 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
14.7%
−4.9 ptssince 2009
from 19.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
41.6%
+11.6 ptssince 2009
from 30.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.6
+21%since 2009
from 2.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
47
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.1%(42,283)
Black1.8%(856)
Hispanic / Latino3%(1,404)
Asian2.7%(1,274)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic77.4%(54,992)
Black5%(3,581)
Hispanic / Latino6.5%(4,603)
Asian6.3%(4,504)
Other4.8%(3,403)
Diversity Score
49
+80%since 2009
from 27 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.3%(3,058)
Honduran0.5%(369)
Ecuadorian0.3%(211)
Puerto Rican0.3%(185)
Peruvian0.2%(159)
Salvadoran0.2%(136)
Venezuelan0.1%(90)
Cuban0.1%(87)
Colombian0.1%(75)
Spaniard0.1%(51)
+ 4 more hispanic origin groups with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.5%(1,769)
Chinese0.8%(575)
Vietnamese0.7%(494)
Korean0.5%(327)
Filipino0.3%(227)
Laotian0.3%(179)
Nepalese0.1%(102)
Burmese0.1%(76)
Indonesian0.1%(49)
Japanese0.1%(46)
Bangladeshi0.1%(46)
Kazakh0%(34)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Thai0%(27)
Malaysian0%(20)
Hmong0%(14)
Pakistani0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German26.4%(18,791)
Irish16.1%(11,441)
English13%(9,273)
Norwegian5.1%(3,625)
Italian4.9%(3,478)
Swedish3.3%(2,376)
American3.2%(2,257)
Dutch2.4%(1,735)
Danish2.2%(1,567)
Scottish2.1%(1,518)
French1.7%(1,190)
+ 32 more ancestry groups with data
Polish1.5%(1,080)
Scotch-Irish0.9%(640)
Czech0.8%(573)
Arab0.8%(535)
Welsh0.7%(490)
Russian0.6%(447)
British0.5%(381)
Portuguese0.4%(281)
Ethiopian0.4%(262)
Ukrainian0.3%(227)
Finnish0.3%(211)
Romanian0.3%(208)
Egyptian0.3%(188)
Austrian0.2%(142)
Croatian0.2%(122)
Swiss0.1%(104)
Iraqi0.1%(93)
Nigerian0.1%(92)
Slovak0.1%(91)
Lebanese0.1%(89)
Lithuanian0.1%(82)
Belgian0.1%(45)
Greek0.1%(41)
Ghanaian0%(25)
Hungarian0%(23)
Serbian0%(20)
Armenian0%(14)
Brazilian0%(14)
Bulgarian0%(14)
Slovene0%(12)
Jordanian0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
54.9%
+6.5 ptssince 2000
from 48.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.3%
Unchangedsince 2000
from 96.3% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
19.1%
+4.9 ptssince 2000
from 14.1% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.3 min
+77%since 2000
from 10.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
71.0%
−15.1 ptssince 2009
from 86.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
19.1%
+15.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.8% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.8%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
2.4%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 4.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
72.7%
−4.0 ptssince 2011
from 76.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
83.3%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 81.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.5%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
54.4%
+8.4 ptssince 2009
from 46.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Female
50.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Foreign born
10.9%
+2.9 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.4%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
9.9%
+2.8 ptssince 2012
from 7.1% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 6.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
93.4%
+5.6 ptssince 2017
from 87.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.6%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 96.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
80.1%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 80.6% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
86.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 86.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2016
from 3.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married40%(11,438)
Married49.7%(14,223)
Widowed2.4%(676)
Divorced8%(2,293)
Women 15+
Never married34%(10,204)
Married44.5%(13,374)
Widowed9.2%(2,749)
Divorced12.3%(3,698)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.8%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 6.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
66.4%
−4.9 ptssince 2020
from 71.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 13.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.5%
+1.5 ptssince 2020
from 14.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
14.2%
+2.4 ptssince 2020
from 11.8% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 1.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
78.1%
−5.5 ptssince 2020
from 83.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
29.0%
+4.2 ptssince 2020
from 24.8% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)31.2%(940)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)26.1%(787)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era22.5%(678)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.6%(138)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.8%(23)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,015 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Frequently asked

How many people live in West Des Moines, Iowa?

West Des Moines, Iowa has about 71,083 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in West Des Moines, Iowa?

The typical household in West Des Moines, Iowa earns about $86,594 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is West Des Moines, Iowa expensive?

In West Des Moines, Iowa, the median home is worth about $309,000, and the typical rent is about $1,237 a month.

How educated are people in West Des Moines, Iowa?

About 54.9% of adults age 25 and over in West Des Moines, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in West Des Moines, Iowa?

About 8.4% of people in West Des Moines, Iowa live below the federal poverty line.

Has West Des Moines, Iowa grown since 1990?

Yes, West Des Moines, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 39,388 residents, a change of about 124 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →