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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

West Des Moines, IA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






West Des Moines profile


Living in West Des Moines



West Des Moines is a larger medium-sized city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 70,741 people and 16 constituent neighborhoods, West Des Moines is the sixth largest community in Iowa.

West Des Moines real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although West Des Moines house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

Also of interest is that West Des Moines has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 11.57% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One thing that you will notice about West Des Moines is that there is a good-sized population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. Many singles consider West Des Moines a good place to live without being in a really big city, with opportunities for friendships and fun with others like themselves.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in West Des Moines. 53.70% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in West Des Moines in 2018 was $49,286, which is wealthy relative to Iowa and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $197,144 for a family of four. However, West Des Moines contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

West Des Moines is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call West Des Moines home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Des Moines residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in West Des Moines include German, Irish, English, Norwegian, and Italian.

The most common language spoken in West Des Moines is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Langs. of India.