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Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Latest: 2024↓ R+4.5 vs 2020

Competitive — shifted 4.5pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 731K residents — 6 counties

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Race & ancestry
Group%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
77.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
8.7%
▶Black / African American(12)
5.7%
▶Asian(6)
4.3%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(9)
0.3%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1)
0.3%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.1%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%
View full demographics →
Religious adherence
Tradition% Pop% Adherents
Mainline Protestant11.9%31.3%
Catholic11.7%31.0%
Evangelical Protestant10.0%26.3%
Other3.3%8.8%
Black Protestant0.9%2.4%
LDS (Mormon)0.9%2.2%
Non-religious62.1%—
View full religion →
Presidential results
YearResult
2024Harris+1.6
2020Biden+6.1
2016Clinton+3.1
2012Obama+8.3
2008Obama+9.8
2004Kerry+1.0
2000Gore+2.9
1996Clinton+13.8
1992Clinton+8.2
View full election history →

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is a metro area that has a population of 731,120. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+1.6. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
YearDem %Rep %MarginSwing
202449.9%48.3%D+1.6R+4.5
202052.0%45.9%D+6.1D+3.0
201647.2%44.2%D+3.1R+5.3
201253.2%44.9%D+8.3R+1.4
200854.0%44.2%D+9.8D+8.8
200450.1%49.1%D+1.0R+1.9
200050.2%47.3%D+2.9R+10.9
199653.0%39.3%D+13.8D+5.6
199246.2%38.0%D+8.2R+10.3
198858.9%40.5%D+18.5D+16.8
198450.5%48.8%D+1.7D+5.2
198042.5%46.1%R+3.5R+11.0
197652.5%45.1%D+7.4D+17.7
197243.7%54.0%R+10.3R+7.8
196844.7%47.2%R+2.5R+34.5
196465.8%33.8%D+32.0D+41.4
196045.3%54.7%R+9.4D+0.9
195644.8%55.1%R+10.3D+4.9
195242.0%57.2%R+15.2R+25.3
194853.6%43.6%D+10.0—
Political Identity

What defines Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

It has a moderately diverse, middle-class electorate where education levels and suburban growth shape the partisan balance.

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer
Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Polk503K
D+10.8
140,075112,240256,83866.0%
Dallas108K
R+4.7
29,40232,37462,96116.2%
Warren54K
R+20.6
12,71219,48632,8048.4%
Jasper38K
R+27.5
7,14112,70120,1985.2%
Madison17K
R+38.5
3,0086,86410,0282.6%
Guthrie11K
R+37.8
1,9744,4466,5431.7%
6 countiesTotal votes: 389,372
Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA's political evolution with the Historian
Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
  • Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
  • The 2024 election was decided by just 1.6 points — razor-thin
  • Swung 4.5 points toward Republican between 2020 and 2024
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IACensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
Expand rows for ancestry detail
White (Non-Hispanic) 77.4%Hispanic 8.7%Black 5.7%Asian 4.3%Multiracial 3.6%
GroupLocalNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)
77.4%57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(17)
8.7%19.3%
▶Black / African American(12)
5.7%12.2%
▶Asian(6)
4.3%6.0%
Multiracial / Other
3.6%4.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(9)
0.3%0.9%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1)
0.3%0.9%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3)
0.1%0.2%
Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:
37.9%(277.1K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions
Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Mainline Protestant
11.9%31.3%——
Catholic
11.7%31.0%——
Evangelical Protestant
10.0%26.3%——
Other
3.3%8.8%——
Black Protestant
0.9%2.4%——
LDS (Mormon)
0.9%2.2%——
Non-religiousPopulation
62.1%———
Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area? 731,120 residents across 6 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA vs National731K residents

40% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 7pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+8 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population
Local vs state vs U.S.
731K
local
731KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.22%
local
0.22%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
73.7%
local
73.7%National 75.7%
Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income
Local vs state vs U.S.
$86,507
local
$86,507National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
9.1%
local
9.1%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
39.8%
local
39.8%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
69.5%
local
69.5%National 65.2%
Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age
Local vs state vs U.S.
36.9 yrs
local
36.9 yrsNational 39.1 yrs
Age 18–29
Local vs state vs U.S.
15.6%
local
15.6%National 15.7%
Age 65+
Local vs state vs U.S.
14.5%
local
14.5%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
8.8%
local
8.8%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
12.7%
local
12.7%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
87.3%
local
87.3%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
2024 Turnout
72.3%
vs Previous
+1.3pp
Voting-Age Pop
538,675
History
1988–2024
Competitiveness

How competitive is Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

Tilt DAvg margin: D+3.6 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+9.8
2012
D+8.3
2016
D+3.1
2020
D+6.1
2024
D+1.6
Elasticity
8.2pp
margin range
Party Flips
0
last 30 years
5-Elec Avg
D+5.8
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (28/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorD+3.2R+2.35.4pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 13.3pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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