Population

74,224

US Census estimate, July 2025

Median home value

$309,000

Owner-occupied units

West Des Moines, IA

Iowa · 41.550° N, 93.781° W · 48 sq mi

West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, with a population of 74,224 and about 1,562 residents per square mile. The median household earns $86,594 a year, and the median home is worth $309,000.

Conditions

Humidity & wind

—

UV index

—

Sunrise & sunset

—

Local time

—

Size & density

Land area

48 sq mi

Water excluded

Population density

1,562

People per square mile

Rank by population

#554

Of cities on this site

Rank by area

#256

Of cities on this site

Money & housing

Median household income

$86,594

US median ≈ $78,538

Median gross rent

$1,237

Per month

Homeownership

57.4%

US ≈ 65%

Average commute

18.3 min

One way

People

Median age

US median 39.1

Bachelor's degree +

54.9%

Age 25 and over

Foreign born

10.9%

Households

32,233

2.19 people each

What people here do for work

Education & health care 21.6^%

Finance, insurance & real estate 19.3^%

Professional & business services 13.9^%

Retail trade 10.7^%

Top four industries · share of all workers · ACS 2024

Wealthiest person in Iowa

Name

Harry Stine

Forbes, Apr 2025

Net worth

$10.2B

As of 25 Apr 2025 — not live

Lives in

Adel

Source of wealth

Agriculture

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

Largest employer in Iowa · private sector

Employer

University of Iowa

Sector

Education & health

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified. Government employers are excluded.

Largest public company in Iowa

Company

Principal Financial Group

Revenue

$16.1B

Fiscal year 2024

Headquarters

Des Moines

Ticker

PFG

Compiled from public reporting, not from an official dataset, and not independently verified.

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State of Iowa

State bird

Eastern Goldfinch

State flower

Wild Prairie Rose

State capital

Des Moines

Nickname

The Hawkeye State

Compare West Des Moines with

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West Des Moines vs Cedar RapidsSide by side

Cities near West Des Moines

Des Moines, IA9 mi · 212,086
Ankeny, IA16 mi · 77,833
Ames, IA34 mi · 68,220
Waterloo, IA98 mi · 66,919
Council Bluffs, IA110 mi · 62,680
Cedar Rapids, IA112 mi · 137,935
Bellevue, NE115 mi · 64,863
Iowa City, IA117 mi · 76,229