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
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
Section 01
Population & growth
731,120
+41%since 2000
from 518,607 in 2000
758,539 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
3,612 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024731K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(46,555)
5 to 96.9%(50,258)
10 to 147%(51,498)
15 to 196.6%(48,188)
20 to 246.1%(44,834)
25 to 3414.4%(105,129)
35 to 4414.5%(105,649)
45 to 5412.1%(88,256)
55 to 6411.5%(84,387)
65 to 748.8%(63,981)
75 to 844.1%(29,865)
85 and over1.7%(12,520)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$86,618
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,993 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
56.5%
+21.5 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services14.1%
Public administration12.6%
Information11%
Retail trade9.2%
Wholesale trade7.3%
Finance & insurance5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.3%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
Construction1.6%
Arts, entertainment, food1.6%
Education & health services0.7%
Manufacturing0.1%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$270,939
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $98,642 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.1
+20%since 2009
from 2.6 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.
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)
48
+58%since 2009
from 30 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
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)
Costa Rican0%(208)
Dominican0%(197)
Argentine0%(195)
Venezuelan0%(194)
Nicaraguan0%(183)
Panamanian0%(115)
Uruguayan0%(7)
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)
Indonesian0%(75)
Bangladeshi0%(46)
Pakistani0%(45)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0%(358)
Marshallese0%(241)
Chamorro0%(152)
Samoan0%(91)
Fijian0.2%(24)
Tongan0%(15)
Guamanian0%(4)
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)
Australian0%(95)
Armenian0%(54)
Israeli0%(42)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(34)
Syrian0%(20)
Jordanian0%(19)
Palestinian0%(5)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.4%
+5.1 ptssince 2000
from 88.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.6%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 80.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
96.8%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 93.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
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
Direct-purchase
12.9%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 13.4% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
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)
Gulf War (1990s)23.4%(7,534)
Vietnam era28.8%(9,258)
Korean War4.9%(1,590)
World War II1.1%(348)
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
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
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 MoinesHead 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