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METRO AREA

Des Moines Metro

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · 6 counties · 758,539 residents (2025 est.) · 3,612 sq mi
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The short version

Des Moines is a metro area of 731,120 people. That puts it in the top 2% of US metro areas for household income. Growth has run 41% since 2000, or 212,513 more people. The typical home is worth $270,939, having more than doubled since 2000. The average commute runs 21 minutes. The foreign-born share is 9%.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $86,618, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.9
US median: 38.9
More educated
40% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 51%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Des Moines

What changed most since 1990

  • Median home value (2024 dollars)$135,328 → $270,939 (+100%)US over the same years: +67%
  • Population451,141 → 731,120 (+62%)US over the same years: +35%

Among the 23 metro and micro areas based in Iowa

  • 1st in household income$86,618
  • 3rd in share with a bachelor's degree39.8%
  • 2nd in home value$270,939
  • 8th in diversity score47.6
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
731,120
+41%since 2000
from 518,607 in 2000
758,539 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
202 / sq mi
+41%since 2000
from 144 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
36.9
+5%since 2000
from 35.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
3,612 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
423K507K591K675K759K19902000201020202024Des Moines
2024731K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(46,555)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.9%(50,258)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147%(51,498)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.6%(48,188)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(44,834)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3414.4%(105,129)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.5%(105,649)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.1%(88,256)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.5%(84,387)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.8%(63,981)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 844.1%(29,865)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.7%(12,520)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$86,618
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,993 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$46,354
+103%since 2000
from $22,866 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
56.5%
+21.5 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
9.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.434
+2%since 2010
from 0.425 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services14.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration12.6%
US avg: 4.8%
Information11%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade9.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7.3%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$270,939
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $98,642 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,137
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $548 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
69.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2000
from 71.3% in 2000
30.5% rent
Vacancy rate
6.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.44 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.43 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.6%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 21.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
42.2%
+3.1 ptssince 2009
from 39.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.1
+20%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
1990 – 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
68
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.1%(462,042)
Black3.6%(18,596)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(19,730)
Asian2%(10,398)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic77.4%(565,730)
Black5.6%(41,017)
Hispanic / Latino8.7%(63,681)
Asian4.2%(30,838)
Other4.1%(29,854)
Diversity Score
48
+58%since 2009
from 30 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
35
−11%since 2020
from 39 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican5.8%(42,668)
Central American1.4%(10,019)
Salvadoran0.7%(5,015)
Puerto Rican0.5%(3,770)
South American0.4%(2,733)
Guatemalan0.3%(2,285)
Honduran0.3%(2,199)
Spaniard0.2%(1,176)
Colombian0.1%(908)
Cuban0.1%(795)
Ecuadorian0.1%(675)
Peruvian0.1%(448)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Chilean0%(273)
Dominican0%(197)
Argentine0%(195)
Venezuelan0%(194)
Nicaraguan0%(183)
Panamanian0%(115)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1%(6,847)
Burmese0.8%(4,473)
Vietnamese0.5%(3,562)
Laotian0.5%(2,984)
Chinese0.4%(2,701)
Nepalese0.2%(1,595)
Korean0.2%(1,578)
Filipino0.2%(1,097)
Bhutanese0.1%(611)
Kazakh0.1%(574)
Thai0.1%(486)
Cambodian0.1%(321)
+ 8 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0%(216)
Japanese0%(208)
Malaysian0%(159)
Sri Lankan0%(137)
Taiwanese0%(98)
Pakistani0%(45)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(152)
Samoan0%(91)
Fijian0.2%(24)
Tongan0%(15)
Ancestry
German26%(189,796)
Irish13.8%(100,918)
English12.1%(88,318)
Norwegian3.9%(28,424)
American3.7%(26,959)
Dutch3.1%(23,003)
Italian3.1%(22,749)
Swedish2.5%(17,977)
Subsaharan African2.4%(17,443)
Scottish1.9%(13,792)
French1.5%(11,077)
Danish1.3%(9,393)
+ 47 more ancestry groups with data
Polish1.2%(9,054)
Czech0.8%(5,934)
Welsh0.7%(5,424)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(5,302)
Russian0.4%(2,644)
British0.4%(2,608)
Arab0.3%(2,213)
Swiss0.3%(2,035)
Hungarian0.2%(1,513)
Croatian0.2%(1,342)
West Indian0.2%(1,307)
Somali0.2%(1,303)
Greek0.2%(1,176)
Ethiopian0.2%(1,155)
French Canadian0.2%(1,115)
Austrian0.1%(1,052)
Nigerian0.2%(1,003)
Finnish0.1%(783)
Ukrainian0.1%(774)
Belgian0.1%(679)
Jamaican0.1%(679)
Lebanese0.1%(638)
Lithuanian0.1%(614)
Latvian0.1%(518)
Romanian0.1%(468)
Portuguese0.1%(466)
Egyptian0.1%(465)
Canadian0.1%(451)
Haitian0.1%(441)
Kenyan0.1%(359)
Slovak0.1%(351)
Moroccan0%(268)
Serbian0%(250)
Brazilian0%(220)
Ghanaian0%(202)
Iraqi0%(187)
Turkish0%(157)
Slovene0%(155)
Iranian0%(152)
Bulgarian0%(122)
Armenian0%(54)
Israeli0%(42)
Syrian0%(20)
Jordanian0%(19)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.8%
+12.7 ptssince 2000
from 27.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
93.4%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 88.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
13.0%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 7.7% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.0 min
+72%since 2000
from 12.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
72.7%
−8.6 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.8%
−2.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.4%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
16.1%
+12.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.9% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.0%
−1.5 ptssince 2011
from 5.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
71.0%
−2.0 ptssince 2011
from 73.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 80.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
12.0%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
45.4%
+8.0 ptssince 2009
from 37.3% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.9%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Female
50.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Foreign born
8.8%
+3.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.8%
−4.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2012
from 10.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
4.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.8%
+10.5 ptssince 2017
from 81.3% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.8%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 93.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.3%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 84.5% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
87.3%
−2.3 ptssince 2016
from 89.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
5.8%
+1.1 ptssince 2016
from 4.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married34.9%(100,987)
Married53.3%(154,254)
Widowed2.3%(6,704)
Divorced9.4%(27,203)
Women 15+
Never married29.5%(86,618)
Married50.8%(149,250)
Widowed7.8%(22,869)
Divorced11.9%(34,924)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
4.8%
−3.0 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
63.3%
−2.1 ptssince 2020
from 65.4% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.9%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 13.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 14.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.6%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 18.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.1%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
74.4%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 76.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
32.6%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 31.8% 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)27.4%(8,806)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)23.4%(7,534)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era28.8%(9,258)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.9%(1,590)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II1.1%(348)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 32,182 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
Over time

Des Moines, decade by decade

Des Moines population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990451,141$73,569$135,32821.2%15.1
2000518,607$83,784$179,69127.1%25.4
2010606,475$81,951$215,04731.6%35.1
2020709,466$87,919$238,18937.4%47.9
2024731,120$86,618$270,93939.8%47.6

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

In this metro

Largest cities

Des MoinesCENTRAL212,086Ankeny77,833West Des MoinesCENTRAL74,224Urbandale48,570Waukee34,890Johnston25,065Altoona22,796Clive19,861Grimes17,405Indianola16,829Newton15,741Norwalk15,004Pleasant Hill11,239Bondurant9,647Perry8,208Adel7,098Polk City6,630Winterset5,520Windsor Heights5,059Carlisle4,532Saylorville3,366Mitchellville2,671Colfax2,303Granger2,179Dallas Center2,042Monroe2,022Van Meter1,978Prairie City1,724Guthrie Center1,583Earlham1,396

The 30 most populous of 73 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

6 component counties

Polk CountyCENTRAL516,546Dallas CountyCENTRAL118,457Warren County57,331Jasper County38,153Madison County17,270Guthrie County10,782
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Des Moines

Colorado Springs
Pop 781,796
Madison
Pop 709,685
Boise City
Pop 864,243
Charleston
Pop 889,263
Places similar to Des Moines
Head to head

Compare Des Moines side by side

DES MOINES VS
Colorado Springs
Income$90,201+4%
Home value$461,611+70%
Population781,796+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Madison
Income$88,936+3%
Home value$373,185+38%
Population709,685−6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Boise City
Income$85,629−1%
Home value$469,641+73%
Population864,243+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Charleston
Income$85,207−2%
Home value$404,179+49%
Population889,263+17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has about 731,120 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA earns about $86,618 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA expensive?

In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, the median home is worth about $270,939, and the typical rent is about $1,137 a month.

How educated are people in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

About 39.8% of adults age 25 and over in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

About 9.1% of people in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA grown since 1990?

Yes, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 279,979 residents, a change of about 62 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →