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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Des Moines Metro

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · 6 counties · 709,466 residents · 3,612 sq mi
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The short version

Des Moines is a metro area of 709,466 people. Growth has run 37% since 2000, or 190,859 more people. The average commute runs 21 minutes. The typical home is worth $196,520, having more than doubled since 2000. 8% of residents were born outside the United States. Owners hold 68% of the housing stock.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 36.7
US median: 38.8
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 33%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
709,466
+37%since 2000
from 518,607 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
196 / sq mi
+37%since 2000
from 144 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
36.7
+5%since 2000
from 35.1 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
3,612 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
423K507K591K675K759K19902000201020202024Des Moines
2024731K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.5%(46,162)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 97%(49,971)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147.2%(51,314)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.6%(46,794)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(43,286)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.1%(100,174)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.8%(97,879)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.1%(85,603)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6411.9%(84,667)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.8%(62,341)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.1%(29,036)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.7%(12,239)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$72,538
+5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $45,993 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,179
+63%since 2000
from $22,866 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
47.9%
+12.9 ptssince 2009
from 35.0% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
9.2%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 7.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Other services15.4%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration13.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Information11.2%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade8.9%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical3.9%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.2%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.7%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction1.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.7%
US avg: 0.8%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$196,520
+33%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $98,642 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$931
+13%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $548 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
68.4%
−2.8 ptssince 2000
from 71.3% in 2000
31.6% rent
Persons per household
2.49 people
+3%since 2009
from 2.43 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
2.7
+4%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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic77.8%(551,774)
Black5.5%(38,853)
Hispanic / Latino8.2%(57,905)
Asian4.2%(30,015)
Other2.8%(20,114)
Segregation Score
39
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
Mexican5.3%(36,937)
Central American0.8%(5,664)
Salvadoran0.5%(2,835)
Puerto Rican0.4%(2,535)
South American0.2%(1,518)
Guatemalan0.2%(1,383)
Honduran0.1%(579)
Spaniard0.1%(528)
Cuban0.1%(468)
Ecuadorian0.1%(461)
Peruvian0.1%(402)
Nicaraguan0.1%(337)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Panamanian0.1%(336)
Colombian0%(305)
Dominican0%(193)
Venezuelan0%(125)
Argentine0%(124)
Bolivian0%(49)
Chilean0%(41)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.9%(5,864)
Vietnamese0.7%(4,810)
Burmese0.6%(3,123)
Chinese0.4%(2,982)
Laotian0.3%(1,890)
Nepalese0.2%(1,370)
Thai0.2%(1,278)
Filipino0.2%(1,218)
Korean0.2%(1,117)
Bhutanese0.1%(582)
Cambodian0.1%(554)
Japanese0.1%(319)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pakistani0%(175)
Hmong0%(112)
Taiwanese0%(76)
Malaysian0%(23)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(93)
Chamorro0%(59)
Ancestry
German26.6%(183,551)
Irish13.1%(90,760)
English9.2%(63,314)
American4.2%(28,980)
Norwegian4.1%(28,425)
Dutch3.7%(25,262)
Italian3.3%(22,683)
Swedish2.6%(18,292)
Subsaharan African1.9%(12,661)
French1.7%(11,787)
Scottish1.6%(11,314)
Polish1.3%(9,275)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Danish1.3%(9,103)
Czech1%(6,882)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(5,855)
Welsh0.8%(5,837)
British0.6%(4,203)
Swiss0.4%(2,448)
Russian0.3%(2,353)
French Canadian0.2%(1,688)
Croatian0.2%(1,617)
Austrian0.2%(1,177)
Greek0.2%(1,069)
Somali0.2%(896)
Hungarian0.1%(864)
Ukrainian0.1%(824)
Belgian0.1%(811)
Iraqi0.1%(742)
Portuguese0.1%(726)
Canadian0.1%(717)
Ethiopian0.1%(714)
Lithuanian0.1%(672)
West Indian0.1%(624)
Finnish0.1%(568)
Arab0.1%(485)
Nigerian0.1%(436)
Romanian0.1%(409)
Lebanese0.1%(402)
Slovak0.1%(376)
Serbian0.1%(344)
Slovene0.1%(319)
Kenyan0.1%(308)
Latvian0.1%(295)
Brazilian0.1%(292)
Jamaican0%(279)
Ghanaian0%(270)
Bulgarian0%(230)
Australian0%(199)
Egyptian0%(190)
Haitian0%(170)
Moroccan0%(161)
Barbadian0%(110)
Syrian0%(93)
Jordanian0%(66)
Iranian0%(61)
Turkish0%(39)
Israeli0%(33)
Armenian0%(29)
Guyanese0%(23)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.4%
+10.3 ptssince 2000
from 27.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
93.1%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 88.4% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.6%
+3.8 ptssince 2000
from 7.7% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.7 min
+70%since 2000
from 12.2 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
81.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 81.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.3%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.2% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.2%
−1.3 ptssince 2011
from 5.5% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
71.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 73.0% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.5%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
43.2%
+5.8 ptssince 2009
from 37.3% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Female
50.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Foreign born
7.8%
+2.0 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
4.2%
−3.6 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
93.6%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
84.5%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
4.2%
−3.6 ptssince 2013
from 7.8% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
65.4%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
13.4%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
14.8%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.5%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.1%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
76.9%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
31.8%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.5%(6,933)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)21.2%(7,167)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era32.3%(10,930)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7.2%(2,451)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II3.3%(1,117)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 33,834 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+24%
Home value$461,611+135%
Population781,796+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Madison
Income$88,936+23%
Home value$373,185+90%
Population709,685−6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Boise City
Income$85,629+18%
Home value$469,641+139%
Population864,243+14%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Charleston
Income$85,207+17%
Home value$404,179+106%
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 709,466 residents according to the 2020 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 $72,538 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 $196,520, and the typical rent is about $931 a month.

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

About 37.4% 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 9.2% 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 258,325 residents, a change of about 57 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 →

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (2020): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy