Population 4,530 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Fort des Moines
Household size in Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.39 | 2.51 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.57 | 2.56 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.59 | 2.55 | 2.43 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.64 | 2.52 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.25 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Fort des Moines average 2.64 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in the Des Moines area as a whole, where it has 2.52 people. Household size has climbed from 2.39 in 2006–10, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 33.0 | 36.2 | 38.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.4 | 36.7 | 39.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 39.3 | 37.2 | 39.7 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 34.2 | 37.6 | 39.8 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.2 | +1.4 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
Fort des Moines is young: half of its residents are under 34.2, compared with a national median of 40.1. The population tilts toward young adults and children. Residents skew youngest in the south and oldest in the northeast.
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 21.4% | 10.2% | 9.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 22.5% | 11.1% | 9.9% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 15.0% | 10.9% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.2% | 11.2% | 10.0% | 11.6% |
| Change | −8.2 pts | +0.9 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in eight households in Fort des Moines (13.2%), a bit above the national share of 11.6%. Compared with other Des Moines neighborhoods, though, Fort des Moines has a lower share of single-parent households than most.
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 Fort des Moines
Renters in Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.0% | 27.3% | 26.8% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 35.0% | 29.3% | 28.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 42.5% | 30.3% | 28.9% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 32.7% | 30.5% | 28.3% | 34.8% |
| Change | −6.4 pts | +3.2 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in Fort des Moines is about as common as it is nationally: 32.7% of households rent, against 34.8%. Among homeowners, 28.4% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the north and least common in the southeast.
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.8% | 7.7% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.3% | 7.2% | 8.6% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.3% | 7.2% | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.9% | 7.0% | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Change | +2.1 pts | −0.7 pts | +0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in Fort des Moines is close to the national rate: 8.9% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. The rate is higher than in the wider Des Moines area (7.0%).
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1971 | 1976 | 1965 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1968 | 1977 | 1967 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1967 | 1979 | 1969 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1960 | 1983 | 1971 | 1980 |
| Change | −11 | +7 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in Fort des Moines is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1960, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates. Newer construction is concentrated in the northeast, while the southeast 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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $624 | $808 | $669 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $740 | $899 | $732 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $797 | $986 | $821 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $960 | $1,210 | $1,020 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$335 | +$402 | +$351 | +$606 |
Rent in Fort des Moines runs $960 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 25.5% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Renters on a budget will find the lowest rents in the east; the highest are in the northwest. Only one other Des Moines neighborhood has lower rents.
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 Fort des Moines
Bachelor's degrees in Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.7% | 33.6% | 26.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 15.0% | 35.5% | 27.9% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.9% | 37.1% | 29.3% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.0% | 40.3% | 32.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.3 pts | +6.6 pts | +5.8 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Fort des Moines have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 21.0%, against 35.6% nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the south and least in the north.
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 89.0% | 91.9% | 90.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 83.9% | 92.8% | 91.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 80.1% | 92.7% | 92.1% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 75.2% | 92.9% | 93.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | −13.8 pts | +1.0 pts | +2.7 pts | +4.3 pts |
About a quarter of adults in Fort des Moines never finished high school, well above the national share: only 75.2% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally. Of Des Moines' 22 neighborhoods, only two have a lower share of high school graduates.
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 Fort des Moines
| Period | Fort des Moines | Des Moines area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 14.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.6% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| Change | −11.1 pts | −0.3 pts | −1.5 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Fort des Moines runs below the national rate: 3.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Fort des Moines has lower unemployment than at least four in five Des Moines neighborhoods. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's 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).
Fort des Moines compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort des Moines | 2.64 | 34.2 | 13.2% | 32.7% | 8.9% | 1960 | $960 | 21.0% | 75.2% | 3.5% |
| Greater South Side | 2.30 | 40.2 | 10.5% | 20.5% | 4.8% | 1957 | $1,152 | 22.8% | 94.2% | 4.4% |
| South Park | 2.12 | 37.2 | 16.0% | 52.6% | 7.4% | 1964 | $977 | 18.5% | 82.4% | 9.1% |
| Indianola Hills | 2.40 | 35.8 | 17.3% | 33.8% | 11.0% | 1955 | $1,189 | 20.3% | 87.5% | 4.5% |
| Pioneer Park | 2.63 | 31.4 | 24.1% | 52.2% | 6.1% | 1983 | $1,110 | 18.3% | 73.8% | 7.5% |
| Bloomfield-Allen | 2.84 | 37.2 | 14.7% | 16.8% | 5.8% | 2001 | $1,357 | 27.9% | 88.2% | 7.3% |
| Southwestern Hills | 2.24 | 40.1 | 8.7% | 38.3% | 6.0% | 1977 | $1,121 | 48.6% | 93.9% | 4.2% |
| Downtown Des Moines | 1.34 | 28.0 | 7.7% | 90.5% | 12.6% | 1985 | $1,283 | 67.0% | 94.4% | 4.0% |
| Capitol Park | 3.14 | 36.6 | 26.8% | 39.3% | 11.2% | 1945 | $1,084 | 15.1% | 80.5% | 8.6% |
| Fairground | 2.74 | 33.4 | 18.6% | 19.6% | 10.2% | 1940 | $1,117 | 14.8% | 78.5% | 8.1% |
| River Bend | 2.73 | 35.7 | 22.1% | 49.2% | 17.9% | 1944 | $934 | 9.9% | 69.0% | 4.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Houston Farms, Houston, TX · Stonehaven, Charlotte, NC · Stanford, Roseville, CA · Southwest Garden, St. Louis, MO · Southeast, Helena, MT · South Valley, Syracuse, NY · Abilene Heights Area, Abilene, TX · Keeling, Tucson, AZ · Kearny Mesa, San Diego, CA · Juneau Town, Milwaukee, WI
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 Fort des Moines. 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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