The Des Moines–West Des Moines metro has 731K residents (per 2024 ACS 5-year Estimates ), a 2024 median household income of $86K, median home value of $267K, median age of 37, and a 40% bachelor's-degree share among adults 25 and older. The analysis below clusters neighborhoods within the metro's urbanized areas, covering 439K of those 731K residents. The western suburban band running from Waukee through Urbandale leads on home values, incomes, and education, while a tight ring of central and north-side Des Moines neighborhoods sits at the bottom of all three.
Median home value
The top of the distribution is the "North of West Des Moines" cluster at $402K — about 1.5x the metro figure — sitting between West Des Moines and Clive, in the same belt as Wells Fargo's regional campus and the Jordan Creek master-planned development. A second high-value pocket sits further west around Waukee at $374K, the fastest-growing city in the state and the site of an Apple data-center investment. Urbandale follows at $360K, with two more West Des Moines clusters at $354K and $321K. The bottom is a tight inner ring: North Des Moines at $155K, South Des Moines at $155K, and a second North Des Moines cluster at $157K, with two more central tracts at $171K and $174K. Most of the rest of the metro lands in the $200K–$300K band.
Median household income
"North of West Des Moines" again leads at $131K, with Urbandale at $130K — both more than 1.5x the metro median — followed by Waukee at $109K and an "East of Urbandale" cluster at $109K. An "East of Grimes" cluster sits at $119K. The bottom is split between central Des Moines and the inner north side: the "West Des Moines" cluster mapped near downtown at $55K, a North Des Moines cluster at $52K, another North Des Moines tract at $57K, and a South Des Moines cluster at $57K. The middle of the metro sits in the $70K–$100K range.
Median age
The oldest neighborhoods are Urbandale at 42, "East of Urbandale" at 42, and a West Des Moines cluster at 42, with the "North of West Des Moines" cluster at 39. The youngest is the North Des Moines cluster at 28, with the "West Des Moines" central cluster at 31, a North Des Moines tract at 33, an East Des Moines cluster at 33, and an Ankeny cluster at 34. The bulk of the metro sits in the 34–38 range, close to the 37 metro median.
Adults with a bachelor's degree
Degree share peaks on the same western band: a West Des Moines cluster at 65%, "North of West Des Moines" at 63%, Urbandale at 60%, Waukee at 56%, and a West Des Moines tract at 56% — all roughly 1.5x the metro's 40%. The bottom is the inner-city ring: North Des Moines at 14%, South Des Moines at 14%, a second North Des Moines cluster at 15%, an East Des Moines cluster at 21%, and an "East of Des Moines" tract at 19%.
Where the metrics overlap
The same western suburban band — "North of West Des Moines," Urbandale, Waukee, and the West Des Moines clusters — sits at the top of home value, income, and bachelor's share simultaneously, and skews older. North Des Moines and South Des Moines form the metro's consistent low-end pole, scoring at the bottom of value, income, and degree share together, and also reading younger than the metro. The central "West Des Moines" cluster splits from its western namesakes: low income at $55K and young at 31, but not a low-end home-value or education tract. The middle of the metro — Ankeny, Johnston, Grimes, Pleasant Hill, Altoona — sits near the metro averages on every metric.
Key Takeaways
- The "North of West Des Moines" cluster tops home value at $402K and income at $131K, with 63% bachelor's share.
- The western suburban band from Waukee through Urbandale and West Des Moines concentrates high value, high income, and high education.
- North and South Des Moines form the metro's consistent low-end pole, with home values near $155K, incomes of $52K–$57K, and bachelor's shares of 14%–15%.
- Urbandale is the oldest reading in the metro at 42; a North Des Moines cluster is the youngest at 28.
- Most of the rest of the metro clusters near the CBSA averages: home values of $200K–$300K, incomes of $70K–$100K, ages 34–38.