Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area — Elections 1876–2024

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted D+2%. Republican peak: R+49 in 1924.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+2MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population: 731,1202024 5-year
Median household income: $86,6182024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 79.8%2024 5-year
Black: 5.7%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 8.7%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+32 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+49 in 1924MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

HarrisD+2

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Kamala Harris ✓Democratic	49.9%	194,312
Donald TrumpRepublican	48.3%	188,111
OtherAll other candidates	1.8%	6,949

D+60

R+60

6 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−16.2%
1896	−13.0%
1900	−24.7%
1904	−46.9%
1908	−20.6%
1912	+7.0%
1916	−0.3%
1920	−39.2%
1924	−49.5%
1928	−37.1%
1932	−0.2%
1936	+9.1%
1940	+5.2%
1944	+5.2%
1948	+10.0%
1952	−15.2%
1956	−10.3%
1960	−9.4%
1964	+32.0%
1968	−2.5%
1972	−10.3%
1976	+7.4%
1980	−3.5%
1984	+1.7%
1988	+18.5%
1992	+8.2%
1996	+13.8%
2000	+2.9%
2004	+1.0%
2008	+9.8%
2012	+8.3%
2016	+3.1%
2020	+6.1%
2024	+1.6%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+1.6%	194,312	188,111	389,372
2020	D	+6.1%	198,559	175,432	382,195
2016	D	+3.1%	157,435	147,193	333,228
2012	D	+8.3%	174,048	146,822	326,931
2008	D	+9.8%	165,040	135,213	305,654
2004	D	+1.0%	143,289	140,496	286,024
2000	D	+2.9%	122,082	115,085	243,423
1996	D	+13.8%	115,412	85,434	217,640
1992	D	+8.2%	106,630	87,786	230,890
1988	D	+18.5%	116,875	80,254	198,272
1984	D	+1.7%	103,755	100,297	205,448
1980	R	−3.5%	85,524	92,632	201,132
1976	D	+7.4%	101,057	86,776	192,455
1972	R	−10.3%	80,896	99,988	185,298
1968	R	−2.5%	73,217	77,380	163,927
1964	D	+32.0%	105,976	54,462	161,053
1960	R	−9.4%	77,684	93,838	171,622
1956	R	−10.3%	74,670	91,917	166,713
1952	R	−15.2%	69,578	94,807	165,695
1948	D	+10.0%	67,334	54,734	125,603
1944	D	+5.2%	67,134	60,500	128,392
1940	D	+5.2%	76,494	68,929	146,020
1936	D	+9.1%	69,925	58,121	130,312
1932	R	−0.2%	52,749	52,963	109,559
1928	R	−37.1%	33,342	73,158	107,303
1924	R	−49.5%	12,293	63,603	103,707
1920	R	−39.2%	27,860	65,293	95,604
1916	R	−0.3%	23,530	23,656	48,779
1912	O	+7.0%	15,415	12,174	46,087
1908	R	−20.6%	17,265	26,804	46,205
1904	R	−46.9%	9,600	29,971	43,412
1900	R	−24.7%	16,890	28,485	46,859
1896	R	−13.0%	19,080	24,901	44,619
1892	R	−16.2%	14,156	20,278	37,848
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

2024 ACS

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

25.9%

Irish

13.8%

English

12.1%

American

3.7%

Italian

3.1%

Scottish

1.9%

French

1.5%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 36.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.0%

1.7%

75–84

2.4%

4.1%

65–74

4.6%

5.7%

55–64

5.8%

6.2%

45–54

5.9%

7.4%

35–44

7.0%

7.3%

25–34

7.1%

4.3%

18–24

4.2%

9.3%

5–17

8.9%

3.2%

3.1%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$86,618

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ranks near the middle of US counties.

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$86,618

Iowa$75,059

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

9.1%

Child poverty is below the national average.

Children under 1811.8%

Working age (18–64)8.4%

Seniors (65+)7.6%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

87.3%

speak English only

Spanish5.8%

Asian & Pacific Islander2.8%

Other Indo-European2.3%

Other languages1.7%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Catholic & Orthodox

12.1%

Mainline Protestant

10.5%

Other Christian

6.2%

Methodist

3.9%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.5%

Non-Christian

2.0%

Baptist

1.8%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 60.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

The Des Moines–West Des Moines metro casts roughly a quarter of Iowa's statewide vote, and its fast-growing suburban collar counties have shifted margins noticeably over successive election cycles, making it a reliable bellwether for statewide outcomes.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-two points in 1964 and a Republican high of forty-nine points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was two points.

A population of 731,120, a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $86,618 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/19780/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa vote in 2024?

In 2024, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa voted Democratic by 1.6 points (D+2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 389,372 votes cast, 194,312 went Democratic and 188,111 went Republican.

What is Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa's political typology?

Akashic places Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 17 times, Republican 16 times, and other 1 times.

When did Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa voted Republican was 1980.

How many people live in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa has a population of 731,120 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?

Median household income in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa is $86,618 — above the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.

What is the political history of Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 17 went Democratic and 16 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Polk County, IA	R +6,977
Jasper County, IA	R +3,378
Warren County, IA	R +2,979

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has voted Democratic in eleven straight presidential elections — D+2 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions