Polk County · Iowa
Des Moines, IA demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Revenue.
Quick answer
Des Moines, IA has a population of 210,381 and a median household income of $62,191 — about $5,183 a month before tax. That ranks 65 of 94 covered metros by income and 74 of 94 by population.
Population
210,381
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$62,191
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
7%
Iowa + local
Income rank
#65
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Des Moines household at the median income of $62,191 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $1,088 a year in sales tax at 7%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and Iowa exempts or discounts several categories. Iowa's local option tax is adopted city by city; the Des Moines metro passed a coordinated 1% LOST that applies across most of Polk County.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Des Moines-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: Iowa Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026