What is the population of Des Moines city?

Des Moines city has 32,545 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #42 of 639 in Washington.

What is the median household income in Des Moines city?

Median household income in Des Moines city is $89,787 a year, 14.3% above the national figure of $78,538.

How much does it cost to rent or buy in Des Moines city?

Median gross rent is $1,727 a month and the median home value is $539,800, so rent absorbs about 23.1% of median household income.

Is Des Moines city affordable compared with the rest of the US?

Homes cost about 6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Des Moines city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 23.1% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.

Aerial view of a dense city center, illustrating the US cities ZIP code directory

Washington · Census place 17635

Des Moines, WA population, income and ZIP codes

Quick answer

The population of the city of Des Moines, Washington (Des Moines, WA — Census place “Des Moines city”) is 32,545 residents, ranking #42 of 639 places in Washington. Median household income is $89,787, the median home is worth $539,800 and median gross rent runs $1,727 a month. Looking for the Des Moines Washington ZIP code list? 2 ZIP codes serve Des Moines, WA: 98148, 98198.

Population: 32,545Des Moines city residents
Median household income: $89,787Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
Median home value: $539,800Owner-occupied units
Median gross rent: $1,727Rent plus utilities, monthly
Median age: 37.5 yrsAll residents
Homeownership rate: 60.8%Owner-occupied households

Des Moines ZIP codes (Washington)

Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Des Moines.

The Des Moines WA ZIP code list below covers 2 ZIP codes. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.

What the numbers mean in Des Moines city

Housing cost measured against local earnings.

A household earning the Des Moines city median would spend about 23.1% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 6.0× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 10.7% of residents and 60.8% of households own their home.

Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year

Des Moines city, WA in context

How this area compares with national benchmarks.

Des Moines city is a small city in Washington, with 32,545 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #42 of 639 ranked by population — larger than 93% of them. The median age here is 37.5 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.

Households in Des Moines city earn a median of $89,787 a year, 14.3% above the national figure of $78,538 and within a couple of points of the $90,592 median for the 393 Washington cities we cover. The median is the midpoint household, not an average, so a handful of very high earners cannot drag it upward the way they distort a mean. Poverty reaches 10.7% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.

The typical owner-occupied home in Des Moines city is valued at $539,800, 77.9% above the national figure and 15% above the $468,400 peer median, while median gross rent runs $1,727 a month, 22.8% above the national figure, or roughly $20,724 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 23.1% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is within the standard affordability guideline. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 6×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is harder here than in the average US market. 60.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, so the market leans more heavily on renters. The rent line includes utilities paid by the tenant, a definition worth remembering when comparing it against a landlord's quoted rate.

No figure on this page is estimated by us; each one comes straight from the published ACS tables for this area. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.

Compare with nearby places

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about this area.

What is the population of Des Moines city?: Des Moines city has 32,545 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #42 of 639 in Washington.
What is the median household income in Des Moines city?: Median household income in Des Moines city is $89,787 a year, 14.3% above the national figure of $78,538.
How much does it cost to rent or buy in Des Moines city?: Median gross rent is $1,727 a month and the median home value is $539,800, so rent absorbs about 23.1% of median household income.
Is Des Moines city affordable compared with the rest of the US?: Homes cost about 6× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Des Moines city is less affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 23.1% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
How current is this Des Moines city data?: All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.