Latest Census city estimates released May 14, 2026 · Population as of July 1, 2025 · Next city estimates scheduled for May 2027. Release schedule
Des Moines, Iowa population is 212,086 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #116 nationally and #1 in Iowa. Cost of living runs 8.3% below the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); the four-person spending scenario corresponds to modeled gross income of $100,838/yr (TY2026 tax assumptions; partial scenario excluding unverified local income tax). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
212,086 people live in Des Moines as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #116 largest U.S. city.
How big is Des Moines?
Des Moines covers 88.2 square miles of land and 2.6 square miles of water. Its population density is about 2,406 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population shrank 0.9% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 214,032 → 2025: 212,086 (-0.9%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
214,032
April 1, 2020
2020
213,682
July 1, 2020
2021
212,434
July 1, 2021
2022
210,530
July 1, 2022
2023
210,633
July 1, 2023
2024
212,277
July 1, 2024
2025
212,086
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population grew 4.5% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Des Moines is the #116 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Iowa.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
214,032
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
-1,946
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
-0.9%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
-191
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
-0.1%
within V2025 only
Density
2,406
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
88.2
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#116
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 939 in Iowa
What is the median household income in Des Moines?
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: household income $80,734 ± $166; per-capita income $44,673 ± $122. Margins are at 90% confidence. Comparison badges describe point estimates; they are not significance tests.
Median household income is 18% below the U.S. median ($65,932 vs $80,734); 15.0% live in poverty, 2.5 points above the 12.5% U.S. estimate.
Median household income$65,932
US
Des Moines: $65,932 — 18% below the US median of $80,734.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data; censored rows retained in the distribution
Des Moines
$65,932
United States
$80,734
Income and poverty estimates for Des Moines from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
$65,932-18.3% vs US
±$1,922
Per capita income
$37,863-15.2% vs US
±$917
Population in poverty
15.0% ± 1.1 percentage points
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 41% below the U.S. median ($194,700 vs $332,700); median rent is 23% below ($1,090 vs $1,413); the ratio of median home value to median household income is 3.0× versus 4.1× nationally; this compares two distributions and does not measure an individual household's housing burden.
Median home value$194,700
US
Des Moines: $194,700 — 41% below the US median of $332,700.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data; censored rows retained in the distribution
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,318/mo
US
Des Moines: $1,318/mo — 22% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Same-period U.S. benchmarks: home value $332,700 ± $236; gross rent $1,413 ± $2. Comparison badges describe estimates and do not establish statistical significance.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median value, owner-occupied units
$194,700-41.5% vs US
±$3,372
Median gross rent
$1,090-22.9% vs US
±$21
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR (FY2026)
$1,318-17.3% vs US
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area· 40th-percentile gross rent · HUD methodology
Owner-occupied share
60.5% ± 1.0 percentage points
of occupied housing units
Price-to-income ratio
3.0x± 0.10x approximate 90% MOE-28.3% vs US
median home value ÷ median household income · U.S. ratio: 4.1x
Rent-burdened (≥30% of income)
48.8% ± 3.1 percentage points-4.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 51.1%
Severely rent-burdened (≥50%)
22.1% ± 2.0 percentage points-14.5% vs US
renters with a computed rent/income ratio · U.S. share: 25.9%
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2025 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Des Moines. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
4.2%
Des Moines (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
119,163
2025 annual avg
Worked from home
13.1% ± 1.0 percentage points-13.2% vs US
share of workers 16+ working from home · U.S. share: 15.1% · ACS
County context — Des Moines spans 2 counties; all are listed (no weighted average):
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Polk County
10.2%
$82,960
3.7%
Warren County
6.6%
$101,640
3.2%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Des Moines's linked 2 counties in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2025 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
42,579
$1,220 / wk
#2
Retail trade (44-45)
32,117
$787 / wk
#3
Finance and insurance (52)
31,674
$2,431 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
25,528
$516 / wk
#5
Construction (23)
22,142
$1,651 / wk
What workers earn in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Customer Service Representatives is the largest tracked occupation in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro (12,070 jobs, median $48,880/yr).
▸Show all 12 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Customer Service Representatives
12,070
$48,880
$23.50
Fast Food and Counter Workers
10,060
$29,140
$14.01
Cashiers
8,720
$29,640
$14.25
Stockers and Order Fillers
7,430
$36,800
$17.69
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
7,000
$46,370
$22.29
Waiters and Waitresses
6,250
$20,410
$9.81
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
11,000
$33,430
$16.07
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
8,370
$98,780
$47.49
Registered Nurses · benchmark
8,130
$78,630
$37.80
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
7,840
$60,720
$29.19
Software Developers · benchmark
4,240
$126,460
$60.80
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
All items run 8.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 91.7); rents run 15.3% below (RPP 84.7) — the metro's housing affordability is the main driver.
Cost of living (RPP, all items)RPP 91.7
US
Des Moines's cost of living runs 8.3% below the U.S. average (RPP 91.7 vs 100).
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of metro/non-metro areas with a BEA price parity
BEA Regional Price Parity (all items)
RPP 91.7
−8.3% vs U.S. average · BEA 2024 · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro
HUD Fair Market Rent, 2-BR
$1,318/mo
FY2026 · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA HUD Metro FMR Area
State income tax (top marginal rate)
3.80%
flat · TY2026
Four-person monthly spending scenario
$8,403/mo
3BR rent + food + childcare + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
One-person monthly spending scenario
$3,151/mo
1BR rent + food + taxes + transport · federal sources; excludes unverified local income tax
Local income tax
—
Unverified and excluded from the spending scenario; not a verified zero
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
14.2% ± 0.8 percentage points foreign-born (U.S. share 14.1%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (11.5% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Des Moines's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
These are K-12 public school districts. Higher education (colleges and universities) is not represented in this dataset.
7 districts serve Des Moines, from the NCES EDGE Geographic Relationship Files (GRF25, 2024–25 school year boundaries). The join is many-to-many — large cities often span multiple districts. Expand the list below to see every district sorted primary first. See methodology §12.
Source: NCES EDGE GRF25 · school year 2024–25 · methodology →
What is the climate like in Des Moines?
Hottest month: July (85°F avg high). Coldest: January (13°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 35.4 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Des Moines from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk spans 36.1–92.0/100 across 2 counties; most-cited top hazard is Strong Wind (in 1 of 2).
Natural-hazard exposure for Des Moines from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
Des Moines spans 2 counties. We list each separately because hurricane, flood, and fire risk varies meaningfully across county lines — manufacturing a single “city-level” risk score would hide that signal.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Polk County
92.0
Relatively Moderate
Strong Wind 99.2 Very High · Tornado 98.1 Relatively High · Hail 97.9 Relatively High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Des Moines?
20 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 99% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Des Moines from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of December 31, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
20 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
17
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
99.5%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
99.5%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
105,014
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of December 31, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Des Moines?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 1,471 violent and 6,542 property offenses in the Des Moines jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 703.0 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Des Moines — an FBI jurisdiction population of 209,245, versus the Census place population of 212,086. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
1,471
703.0
359.1
Property crime
6,542
3,126.5
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 2-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
9
Rape
107
Robbery
157
Aggravated assault
1,198
Burglary
968
Larceny-theft
4,482
Motor vehicle theft
1,092
Arson (12-month reporters only)
34
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2023
706.9
3,349.3
209,658
2024
703.0
3,126.5
209,245
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2023–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Des Moines · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Des Moines sits at state rank #1 among 939 cities in Iowa. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Yonkers, NY · #115 · 212,603 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Grand Prairie, TX · #117 · 209,434 residents.
Quick travel facts for Des Moines
Quick travel facts.
Elevation
792 ft · at city centroid, from USGS 3D Elevation Program
Nearest scheduled-service airport
Des Moines International Airport(DSM) · 4 mi 6 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS 3DEP · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (OurAirports type=large/medium and scheduled_service=yes; not an FAA service classification) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Des Moines.
How many people live in Des Moines, IA?
Des Moines has 212,086 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #116 largest city in the United States and #1 in Iowa. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Des Moines growing or shrinking?
Des Moines has shrunk 0.9% since the April 2020 census baseline, losing 1,946 residents, including a 0.1% decline from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
What was Des Moines's population in the 2020 census?
Des Moines spans Polk County, Warren County in Iowa.
How big is Des Moines?
Des Moines covers 88.2 square miles of land, with a population density of about 2,406 residents per square mile. Source: Census Gazetteer 2025.
What is the median household income in Des Moines?
$65,932, about 18% below the U.S. median. Source: ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
SourceU.S. Census · PEP
VintageV2025
Reference2025-07-01
Place typeIncorporated place
GEOID1921000
Last build2026-09-30
Sources · provenance
Every listed dataset is used on this page.
The GEOID for Des Moines is 1921000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
