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METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Des Moines Metro

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · 6 counties · 606,475 residents · 3,612 sq mi
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The short version

Des Moines is a metro area of 606,475 people. The typical home is worth $149,486, having risen by half since 2000. Owners hold 72% of the housing stock. 6% of residents were born outside the United States. Growth has run 17% since 2000, or 87,868 more people. The average commute runs 20 minutes.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Younger
median age 35.7
US median: 37.2
More educated
32% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
606,475
+17%since 2000
from 518,607 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
168 / sq mi
+17%since 2000
from 144 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
35.7
+2%since 2000
from 35.1 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
3,612 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
423K507K591K675K759K19902000201020202024Des Moines
2024731K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 57.5%(45,438)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 97.3%(44,190)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 147%(42,748)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.4%(38,958)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.2%(37,310)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3414.9%(90,148)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4413.9%(84,268)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5414.2%(86,113)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.1%(67,534)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.1%(36,940)
US avg: 7%
75 to 843.7%(22,633)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.7%(10,195)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,967
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,993 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$29,118
+27%since 2000
from $22,866 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
35.9%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
9.7%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 7.4% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.425
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Other services16.5%
US avg: 7%
Public administration14.8%
US avg: 4.9%
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.5%
Retail trade8.4%
US avg: 10.9%
Wholesale trade6.7%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical3.8%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.5%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food2.9%
US avg: 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction1.5%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$149,486
+20%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $98,642 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$693
Unchangedinflation adjusted, since 2000
from $548 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
71.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 71.3% in 2000
28.3% rent
Vacancy rate
6.9%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 6.7% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.46 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.43 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
22.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 21.9% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
41.0%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 39.1% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.6
+1%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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.1%(462,042)
Black3.6%(18,596)
Hispanic / Latino3.8%(19,730)
Asian2%(10,398)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic84.4%(511,718)
Black4.4%(26,972)
Hispanic / Latino6.4%(38,541)
Asian2.8%(17,270)
Other1.9%(11,316)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican4.7%(27,744)
Central American0.7%(4,008)
Salvadoran0.3%(1,574)
Guatemalan0.3%(1,485)
South American0.2%(1,168)
Puerto Rican0.1%(508)
Ecuadorian0.1%(486)
Honduran0.1%(352)
Colombian0%(255)
Nicaraguan0.1%(249)
Cuban0.1%(236)
Spaniard0%(201)
+ 9 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0%(158)
Peruvian0%(142)
Chilean0%(103)
Argentine0%(87)
Dominican0%(69)
Bolivian0%(48)
Ancestry
German32.1%(189,328)
Irish15.5%(91,348)
English11.1%(65,262)
Dutch5.2%(30,736)
American5.2%(30,445)
Norwegian4.9%(29,061)
Italian3.8%(22,501)
Swedish3.4%(20,265)
French2.6%(15,329)
Scottish1.8%(10,862)
Danish1.8%(10,608)
Scotch-Irish1.7%(9,993)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Polish1.3%(7,779)
Czech1.1%(6,561)
Welsh1%(5,828)
Russian0.4%(2,431)
Swiss0.4%(2,085)
British0.3%(1,884)
Greek0.3%(1,619)
French Canadian0.2%(1,358)
Arab0.2%(1,352)
Belgian0.2%(1,315)
Croatian0.2%(1,075)
Lithuanian0.2%(917)
Austrian0.1%(865)
Hungarian0.1%(804)
Canadian0.1%(747)
Finnish0.1%(743)
Lebanese0.1%(591)
Ukrainian0.1%(517)
Slovak0.1%(507)
Portuguese0.1%(463)
West Indian0.1%(433)
Latvian0.1%(417)
Kenyan0.1%(380)
Jamaican0.1%(378)
Serbian0.1%(377)
Romanian0%(256)
Iraqi0.1%(250)
Australian0%(207)
Somali0%(195)
Nigerian0%(192)
Ethiopian0%(140)
Bulgarian0%(136)
Syrian0%(119)
Brazilian0%(107)
Armenian0%(103)
Slovene0%(76)
Iranian0%(71)
Turkish0%(51)
Moroccan0%(39)
Ghanaian0%(17)
Egyptian0%(13)
Guyanese0%(10)
Israeli0%(9)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.6%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 27.1% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
91.4%
+3.0 ptssince 2000
from 88.4% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
8.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 7.7% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.9 min
+63%since 2000
from 12.2 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
81.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
10.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
1.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
4.1%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 3.9% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.9%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.0% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
5.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
11.5%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 11.6% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
37.7%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 37.3% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Female
50.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Foreign born
6.5%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
9.5%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 9.9% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

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
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+58%
Home value$461,611+209%
Population781,796+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Madison
Income$88,936+56%
Home value$373,185+150%
Population709,685−6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Boise City
Income$85,629+50%
Home value$469,641+214%
Population864,243+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Charleston
Income$85,207+50%
Home value$404,179+170%
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 606,475 residents according to the 2010 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 $56,967 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 $149,486, and the typical rent is about $693 a month.

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

About 31.6% 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 9.7% 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 155,334 residents, a change of about 34 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 →