The Des Moines metro area: Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Polk and Warren counties · Population 731,120 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Des Moines area
Household size in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.51 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.56 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.55 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.52 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
The average household in the Des Moines area has 2.52 people, a bit under the U.S. average of 2.65. Still, the typical household here is bigger than in Iowa overall, where it has 2.43 people. Households are largest in the southeast and smallest in the center.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.2 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 36.7 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.2 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 37.6 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.4 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
The median resident of the Des Moines area is 37.6 years old, a few years younger than the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 36.2, in line with the national trend. The Des Moines area is younger than at least four in five large metro areas.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.2% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.1% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.9% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.2% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.9 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in the Des Moines area as they are nationally: 11.2%, against 11.6%. Single parents are more common here than in Iowa overall (10.0%). The single-parent share is up 0.9 points from 2006–10, even as the national share fell.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Des Moines area
Renters in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 27.3% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 29.3% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.3% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 30.5% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.2 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
About three in ten households in the Des Moines area rent their homes (30.5%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Among homeowners, 31.3% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southeast. The renter share is up 3.2 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.7% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 7.2% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 7.2% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 7.0% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.7 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in the Des Moines area: 7.0% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. Vacancy is down 0.7 points from 2006–10, mirroring the country.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1977 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1979 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | +7 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in the Des Moines area was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are newer than in Iowa overall, where the median home dates to 1971. The median year built has moved up from 1976 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the west, while the center has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $808 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $899 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $986 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,210 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$402 | +$351 | +$606 |
The median renter in the Des Moines area pays $1,210 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Still, rents here are higher than in Iowa overall ($1,020). Rent has climbed $402 a month since 2006–10, up 50%, a slower climb than the nation's. Rent takes 28.6% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Des Moines area
Bachelor's degrees in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.6% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 35.5% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 37.1% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 40.3% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.6 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
About four in ten adults 25 and older in the Des Moines area (40.3%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a bit above the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 6.6 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the east.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.9% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 92.8% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.7% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.9% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over nine in ten adults in the Des Moines area have finished high school (92.9%), above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma has edged up 1.0 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally. The Des Moines area has a higher share of high school graduates than the great majority of large metro areas.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Des Moines area
| Period | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 4.8% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.4% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.8% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.3 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in the Des Moines area runs below the national rate: 4.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Even so, the rate is higher than in Iowa overall (3.7%). Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Des Moines area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines area (all) | 2.52 | 37.6 | 11.2% | 30.5% | 7.0% | 1983 | $1,210 | 40.3% | 92.9% | 4.5% |
| Ankeny | 2.58 | 35.3 | 8.6% | 27.1% | 5.3% | 2002 | $1,387 | 51.8% | 98.0% | 2.2% |
| West Des Moines | 2.30 | 37.8 | 8.1% | 42.2% | 6.7% | 1991 | $1,311 | 55.7% | 95.9% | 2.6% |
| Urbandale | 2.58 | 40.3 | 7.8% | 24.1% | 6.5% | 1989 | $1,300 | 51.1% | 93.8% | 2.9% |
| Waukee | 2.52 | 35.5 | 10.4% | 31.0% | 4.7% | 2008 | $1,424 | 58.4% | 95.6% | 3.1% |
| Johnston | 2.80 | 38.5 | 11.3% | 29.0% | 5.6% | 2003 | $1,493 | 57.4% | 96.3% | 2.9% |
| Altoona | 2.53 | 38.0 | 12.3% | 29.1% | 4.6% | 1996 | $1,229 | 35.0% | 96.6% | 6.5% |
| Clive | 2.77 | 39.0 | 11.7% | 28.6% | 5.3% | 1995 | $1,489 | 57.6% | 95.1% | 4.0% |
| Newton | 2.32 | 43.5 | 10.5% | 35.5% | 11.3% | 1962 | $850 | 19.7% | 93.5% | 5.2% |
| Indianola | 2.44 | 38.1 | 11.4% | 26.9% | 5.8% | 1980 | $1,128 | 34.8% | 96.8% | 3.7% |
| Grimes | 2.71 | 35.5 | 8.2% | 27.3% | 2.7% | 2007 | $1,187 | 54.3% | 99.2% | 1.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Provo area · Winston-Salem area · Madison area · Poughkeepsie area · Akron area · Lakeland area · Little Rock area · Colorado Springs area · Fort Myers area · Boise area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Des Moines area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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