HomeIowaPolk CountyWest Des Moines
West Des Moines, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
West Des Moines is a Census city of 71,083 people across 47.49 square miles of land, lying across Polk County and Dallas County and Warren County. Median household income is $86,594, 57.4 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 104 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $47.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
West Des Moines
What West Des Moines is
- Census place typecity
- Land area47.49 sq mi
- Water area0.98 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land1,497
- County holding the largest share of its areaPolk County, 54.2 percent
- Counties this place lies inPolk County 54.2 percent, Dallas County 40.2 percent, Warren County 4.1 percent
West Des Moines crosses a county line. The split above is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries, by area, so it says where the ground is and not where the town hall is.
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Des Moines
How many people live in West Des Moines
- Population71,083
- Median age36.0
- Population under 1814,955
- Share under 1821.0 percent
- Population 65 and over10,723
- Share 65 and over15.1 percent
- Households32,233
- Family households16,995
- Share of households that are families52.7 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Des Moines
Income and work in West Des Moines
- Median household income$86,594
- Per capita income$57,275
- Civilian labor force41,827
- Employed40,819
- Unemployed1,008 plus or minus 287
- Unemployment rate2.4 percent plus or minus 0.7
- Adults 25 and over49,548
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher96.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher54.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree19.1 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Des Moines
Housing in West Des Moines
- Housing units34,006
- Occupied units32,233
- Vacant units1,773 plus or minus 471
- Vacancy rate5.2 percent plus or minus 1.4
- Owner occupied18,491
- Renter occupied13,742
- Ownership rate57.4 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$309,000
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,237
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.1 percent
- Single family units19,583
- Share single family57.6 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more14,168
- Share in buildings of two or more41.7 percent
- Mobile homes255 plus or minus 112
- Median year structure built1994
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Des Moines
How West Des Moines gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute32,460
- Commuting under 15 minutes12,061
- Share commuting under 15 minutes37.2 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more3,908
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more12.0 percent
- Drove alone71.0 percent
- Carpooled6.8 percent
- Public transport0.6 percent plus or minus 0.3
- Walked0.8 percent plus or minus 0.4
- Worked from home19.1 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
West Des Moines
SBA loans in West Des Moines (7(a))
- Approvals104
- Gross approval$47,685,600
- Average approval$458,515
- Median approval$255,700
- Ninetieth percentile approval$1,030,100
- Largest approval$3,060,000
- Jobs supported1,378
- Jobs per approval13.3
- Loans with a final outcome14
- Paid in full14
- Charged off0
- Median term120 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more3.8 percent
- Share to franchises25.0 percent
- Distinct lenders41
- Distinct industries by NAICS60
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in West Des Moines, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 14 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
West Des Moines
SBA loans in West Des Moines (504)
- Approvals27
- Gross approval$21,844,000
- Average approval$809,037
- Median approval$493,000
- Largest approval$2,906,000
- Jobs supported493
- Loans with a final outcome8
- Charged off0
- Median term240 months
- Distinct CDCs5
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in West Des Moines, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 8 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
West Des Moines
Flood risk in West Des Moines
- NFIP communityCity of West Des Moines
- NFIP community number190231
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date02/01/19
The City of West Des Moines participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 190231 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Polk County, not West Des Moines
Polk County context, not West Des Moines figures
- Establishments in Polk County13,890
- Covered employment, Polk County317,845
- Average annual pay, Polk County$72,557
- Housing units permitted, Polk County2,949
Every figure in this section is published for Polk County as a whole and is not a measurement of West Des Moines.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
West Des Moines questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in West Des Moines, Iowa?
71,083, in 32,233 households. West Des Moines city covers 47.49 square miles of land, which is 1,497 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is West Des Moines in?
West Des Moines lies in more than one. By area it is 54.2 percent in Polk County, 40.2 percent in Dallas County, 4.1 percent in Warren County. This page sits under Polk County because that county holds the largest share. The split is measured from the Census boundary of the place against the county boundaries.
What is the median household income in West Des Moines?
$86,594. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $309,000. Median gross rent is $1,237 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to West Des Moines businesses?
104 7(a) approvals totaling $47.7 m since FY2020, across 41 lenders, median approval $255,700, plus 27 504 approvals worth $21.8 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in West Des Moines, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to West Des Moines borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for West Des Moines. Only 14 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is West Des Moines in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. West Des Moines appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as West Des Moines, city of, community 190231, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page West Des Moines figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Polk County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of West Des Moines.
Is zoning published for West Des Moines?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.