West Des Moines, IA

Census Place

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US Senator
Chuck Grassley
Republican Party
US Senator
Joni Ernst
Republican Party
2023 Median Age
36.5
0.829% 1-year increase
2023 Poverty Rate
7.28%
3.36% 1-year decrease
2023 Median Household Income
$84,925
3.13% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
40,715
1.22% 1-year growth

About

The 5 largest ethnic groups in West Des Moines, IA are White (Non-Hispanic) (78.3%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (7.25%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (3.55%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (3.31%), and White (Hispanic) (2.11%).

None of the households in West Des Moines, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

The largest universities in West Des Moines, IA are Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center (465 degrees awarded in 2023) and Aveda Institute-Des Moines (119 degrees).

About the photo: Raccoon River At Walnut Woods State Park, Iowa

Population & Diversity

In 2023, there were 10.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.7k people) in West Des Moines, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.07k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 2.48k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Des Moines, IA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    54.7k ± 1.55k
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    5.07k ± 1.07k
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    2.48k ± 670
6.08%
Hispanic Population
4.25k people

In 2023, there were 10.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (54.7k people) in West Des Moines, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.07k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 2.48k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

6.08% of the people in West Des Moines, IA are hispanic (4.25k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in West Des Moines, IA as a share of the total population.

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Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,057 ± 304
  2. Vietnam
    689 ± 186
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    460 ± 198

West Des Moines, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.53 times greater than any other conflict.

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Economy

The economy of West Des Moines, IA employs 40.7k people. In 2023, the largest industries in West Des Moines, IA were Finance & Insurance (7,149 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,871 people), and Retail Trade (4,539 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($104,277), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($101,771), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($86,375).

Occupations

40.7k
2023 Value
± 1,866
1.22%
1 Year growth
± 6.36%

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Des Moines, IA, are Business & Financial Operations Occupations (4,736 people), Management Occupations (4,670 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,424 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Des Moines, IA.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Employment by Industries

40.7k
2023 Value
± 1,866
1.22%
1 Year growth
± 6.36%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Des Moines, IA, are Finance & Insurance (7,149 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,871 people), and Retail Trade (4,539 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Des Moines, IA, though some of these residents may live in West Des Moines, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.
Y-Axis
1.48%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

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Education

In 2023, universities in West Des Moines, IA awarded 584 degrees. The student population of West Des Moines, IA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 702 male students and 998 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in West Des Moines, IA are White (465 and 79.6%), followed by Asian (50 and 8.56%), Hispanic or Latino (23 and 3.94%), and Black or African American (20 and 3.42%).

The largest universities in West Des Moines, IA by number of degrees awarded are Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center (465 and 79.6%) and Aveda Institute-Des Moines (119 and 20.4%).

The most popular majors in West Des Moines, IA are Osteopathic Medicine/Osteopathy (202 and 34.6%), General Cosmetology (65 and 11.1%), and Physician Assistant (58 and 9.93%).

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 1,700 students enrolled in West Des Moines, IA, 41.3% men and 58.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,137 records, of which 57.7% were women and 42.3% men.

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Concentrations

Most Common
  1. 50 degrees awarded
  2. 202 degrees awarded
  3. 52 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Professional Doctorate recipients in West Des Moines, IA was Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry with 50 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Professional Doctorate from schools in West Des Moines, IA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. 465 degrees awarded
  2. 119 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center with 465 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 210 men were awarded degrees from institutions in West Des Moines, IA, which is 0.561 times less than the 374 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 465 degrees mean that there were 9.3 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 50 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.
Measure

In N/A, N/A% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while N/A% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in N/A were N/A.

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

Rent vs Own

N/A%
Homeownership
N/A
67.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2023

This chart shows the percentage of owner in West Des Moines, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.
Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the places in West Des Moines, IA colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

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Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$84,925
Median Household Income
± $2,994
31.8k
Number of Households
± 1,530

The following chart displays the households in West Des Moines, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for West Des Moines, IA is from West Des Moines, IA.
N/A Wage GINI in N/A
  1. N/A
  2. N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in West Des Moines, IA across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023
  1. Drove Alone (71.9%)
  2. Worked At Home (17.3%)
  3. Carpooled (7.79%)

In 2023, 71.9% of workers in West Des Moines, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.3%) and those who carpooled to work (7.79%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

N/A minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Des Moines, IA have a similar commute time (N/A minutes) than the normal US worker (N/A minutes). Additionally, 1.03% of the workforce in West Des Moines, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in West Des Moines, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

N/A
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in West Des Moines, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in West Des Moines, IA have N/A.

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Poverty & Diversity

7.28% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Des Moines, IA (5.06k out of 69.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is approximately the same as the national average of N/A%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Des Moines, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Asian.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

95.9% of the population of West Des Moines, IA has health coverage, with 62.7% on employee plans, 10.2% on Medicaid, 10.8% on Medicare, 11.2% on non-group plans, and 0.912% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.06% increase from the previous year (1,357 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 503 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 22.1% under 18 years, 25.9% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50% were men and 50% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

4.06%
Uninsured
62.7%
Employer Coverage
10.2%
Medicaid
10.8%
Medicare
11.2%
Non-Group
0.912%
Military or VA

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in West Des Moines, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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