† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
6 counties by 2024 margin · County returns · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupDes Moines-West Des Moines, IAIowaUnited States
German25.9%30.5%12.5%
Irish13.8%12.8%9.4%
English12.1%10.2%9.5%
Norwegian3.9%4.1%—
American3.7%4.6%5.3%
Italian3.1%1.6%4.8%
Dutch3.1%2.7%—
Swedish2.2%1.9%—
Mexican5.8%5.0%11.3%
Salvadoran0.7%0.3%0.7%
Puerto Rican0.5%0.3%1.8%
Guatemalan0.3%0.4%0.5%
Honduran0.3%0.2%0.3%
African American†3.4%2.6%9.9%
Sudanese0.6%0.2%—
Liberian0.5%——
African0.4%0.3%0.5%
Somali0.2%——
Asian Indian0.9%0.5%1.4%
Burmese0.6%0.3%—
Vietnamese0.5%0.3%0.6%
Chinese0.4%0.3%1.3%
Laotian0.4%0.2%—
Korean0.2%0.2%0.4%
Nepalese0.2%——
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Iowa
United States
Median age
36.9
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
8.5%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.5%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$86,618
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.1%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
39.8%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
12.7%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
5.8%
4.7%
13.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.9%
1.0%
1.1%
Other languages
1.1%
0.6%
0.8%
Religious landscape
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Iowa
United States
Catholic
12.1%
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
10.1%
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
61.0%
55.2%
51.5%
Mainline Protestant
12.4%
15.8%
5.2%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
1892
−16.2%
1896
−13.0%
1900
−24.7%
1904
−46.9%
1908
−20.6%
1912
+7.0%
1916
−0.3%
1920
−39.2%
1924
−49.5%
1928
−37.1%
1932
−0.2%
1936
+9.1%
1940
+5.2%
1944
+5.2%
1948
+10.0%
1952
−15.2%
1956
−10.3%
1960
−9.4%
1964
+32.0%
1968
−2.5%
1972
−10.3%
1976
+7.4%
1980
−3.5%
1984
+1.7%
1988
+18.5%
1992
+8.2%
1996
+13.8%
2000
+2.9%
2004
+1.0%
2008
+9.8%
2012
+8.3%
2016
+3.1%
2020
+6.1%
2024
+1.6%
DemocraticRepublican
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
49.9%Harris194,312
48.3%Trump188,111
1.8%
D+1.6
R+4.5
D+3.1
389,372
D
52.0%Biden198,559
45.9%Trump175,432
2.1%
D+6.1
D+3.0
D+1.6
382,195
D
47.2%Clinton157,435
44.2%Trump147,193
8.6%
D+3.1
R+5.3
D+1.0
333,228
D
53.2%Obama174,048
44.9%Romney146,822
1.9%
D+8.3
R+1.4
D+4.5
326,931
D
54.0%Obama165,040
44.2%McCain135,213
1.8%
D+9.8
D+8.8
D+2.5
305,654
D
50.1%Kerry143,289
49.1%Bush140,496
0.8%
D+1.0
R+1.9
D+3.4
286,024
D
50.2%Gore122,082
47.3%Bush115,085
2.6%
D+2.9
R+10.9
D+2.4
243,423
D
53.0%Clinton115,412
39.3%Dole85,434
7.7%
D+13.8
D+5.6
D+5.3
217,640
D
46.2%Clinton106,630
38.0%Bush87,786
15.8%
D+8.2
R+10.3
D+2.6
230,890
D
58.9%Dukakis116,875
40.5%Bush80,254
0.6%
D+18.5
D+16.8
D+26.2
198,272
D
50.5%Mondale103,755
48.8%Reagan100,297
0.7%
D+1.7
D+5.2
D+19.9
205,448
R
42.5%Carter85,524
46.1%Reagan92,632
11.4%
R+3.5
R+11.0
D+6.2
201,132
D
52.5%Carter101,057
45.1%Ford86,776
2.4%
D+7.4
D+17.7
D+5.4
192,455
R
43.7%McGovern80,896
54.0%Nixon99,988
2.4%
R+10.3
R+7.8
D+12.8
185,298
R
44.7%Humphrey73,217
47.2%Nixon77,380
8.1%
R+2.5
R+34.5
R+1.8
163,927
D
65.8%Johnson105,976
33.8%Goldwater54,462
0.4%
D+32.0
D+41.4
D+9.4
161,053
R
45.3%Kennedy77,684
54.7%Nixon93,838
0.1%
R+9.4
D+0.9
R+9.6
171,622
R
44.8%Stevenson74,670
55.1%Eisenhower91,917
0.1%
R+10.3
D+4.9
D+5.1
166,713
R
42.0%Stevenson69,578
57.2%Eisenhower94,807
0.8%
R+15.2
R+25.3
R+4.5
165,695
D
53.6%Truman67,334
43.6%Dewey54,734
2.8%
D+10.0
D+4.9
D+5.5
125,603
D
52.3%Roosevelt67,134
47.1%Dewey60,500
0.6%
D+5.2
±0.0
R+2.3
128,392
D
52.4%Roosevelt76,494
47.2%Willkie68,929
0.4%
D+5.2
R+3.9
R+4.8
146,020
D
53.7%Roosevelt69,925
44.6%Landon58,121
1.7%
D+9.1
D+9.3
R+15.2
130,312
R
48.1%Roosevelt52,749
48.3%Hoover52,963
3.5%
R+0.2
D+36.9
R+18.0
109,559
R
31.1%Smith33,342
68.2%Hoover73,158
0.7%
R+37.1
D+12.4
R+19.6
107,303
R
11.9%Davis12,293
61.3%Coolidge63,603
26.8%
R+49.5
R+10.3
R+24.3
103,707
R
29.1%Cox27,860
68.3%Harding65,293
2.6%
R+39.2
R+38.9
R+13.0
95,604
R
48.2%Wilson23,530
48.5%Hughes23,656
3.3%
R+0.3
R+7.3
R+3.4
48,779
O
33.4%Wilson15,415
26.4%Taft12,174
40.1%
Roosevelt +6.7
D+27.7
R+12.5
46,087
R
37.4%Bryan17,265
58.0%Taft26,804
4.6%
R+20.6
D+26.3
R+11.1
46,205
R
22.1%Parker9,600
69.0%Roosevelt29,971
8.8%
R+46.9
R+22.2
R+27.3
43,412
R
36.0%Bryan16,890
60.8%McKinley28,485
3.2%
R+24.7
R+11.7
R+17.2
46,859
R
42.8%Bryan19,080
55.8%McKinley24,901
1.4%
R+13.0
D+3.1
R+7.0
44,619
R
37.4%Cleveland14,156
53.6%Harrison20,278
9.0%
R+16.2
—
R+17.8
37,848
Congressional elections · 2 Senate races
U.S. Senate
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2022
D
51.5%147,481
48.3%138,427
286,452
2020
D
51.1%193,306
46.0%174,199
378,336
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2024D+3.3
vs
Presidential vote · 2024D+1.6
Registration and the presidential vote track closely here — within 1.7 points.
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
Voter registration in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Year
Total registered
Democratic
Republican
Unaffiliated
Other
2008
413,473
161,155
120,133
131,988
197
2010
392,492
148,238
122,173
121,664
417
2012
411,356
148,248
130,658
131,825
625
2014
417,890
144,322
130,884
141,199
1,485
2016
441,508
157,250
140,167
141,170
2,921
2018
453,576
162,912
136,032
150,156
4,476
2020
484,725
187,332
147,757
144,707
4,929
2022
492,295
181,903
149,355
156,002
5,035
2024
506,924
173,877
157,279
170,375
5,393
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
+2,791 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +58,433 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Domestic migration in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: net domestic migration by year
Year
Net domestic migration
2011
+3,311
2012
+2,716
2013
+4,619
2014
+5,463
2015
+4,211
2016
+5,629
2017
+4,888
2018
+4,793
2019
+3,718
2021
+5,886
2022
+3,511
2023
+2,656
2024
+4,241
2025
+2,791
The Des Moines–West Des Moines metro casts roughly a quarter of Iowa's statewide vote, and its fast-growing suburban collar counties have shifted margins noticeably over successive election cycles, making it a reliable bellwether for statewide outcomes.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 32.0 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 49.5 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved 4.5 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.6 points.
A population of 731,120, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $86,618 describe the metro. The metro's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Madison, WI and Iowa City, IA.
Akashic
Political twins — metros
The metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/19780/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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How did Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa voted Democratic by 1.6 points (D+1.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 389,372 votes cast, 194,312 went Democratic and 188,111 went Republican.
When did Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa voted Republican was 1980.
How many people live in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa has a population of 731,120 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?
Median household income in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa is $86,618 — above the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 16 went Republican.
