Des Moines is the capital and most populous city of Iowa. The city is named for the Des Moines River, and it's located where the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers meet. The city is vital in United States presidential politics and frequently tops lists as one of the best cities for business and living.
Des Moines has an estimated population of 216,853, up from 203,000 in 2010. This means Des Moines ranks 104th in the United States in terms of population, with a density of 2,517 people per square mile or 972 per square kilometer. The five-county metropolitan region has an estimated population of 590,000 and ranks 88th in the country.
The Hispanic population has grown dramatically, up from 6.61% of the population in 20000. The most common European ancestry groups are German (20.9%), Irish (10.3%), American (9.1%), and English (8.0%).
Des Moines has an unemployment rate of just 4.6% -- lower than the national average -- with a cost of living that is 8.1% below the national average.
Since 2010, three-quarters of the population growth in Iowa has been concentrated in just ten cities, most of which are in the central part of the state. The largest population growth in the last four years has been seen in Des Moines and Ames. The cities with the highest growth, in order, are Ankeny, West Des Moines, Iowa City, and Des Moines.
In 2012, the population of Des Moines grew by an estimated 1.6% from 2010, compared to 0.91% for the state as a whole and 0.58% for the Midwest.
Humans have occupied Des Moines for at least 7,000 years, with many ancient occupation areas in present-day downtown Des Moines. There were also about 18 prehistoric American Indian mounds in the downtown area seen by early settlers, although all were destroyed.
The City of Des Moines traces its start to 1843, when Captain James Allen oversaw the construction of a fort where the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers meet. While he wanted to name it Fort Raccoon, the War Department had him name it Fort Des Moines. The fort was constructed to control nearby Indians, who were transplanted to the area from their lands in the eastern part of the state. In 1846, the fort was abandoned when the Meskwaki and Sauk Indians were removed from the state.
Settlers took over the abandoned fort and surrounding areas. By 1846, Fort Des Moines became the seat of Polk County, although a great deal of the town was destroyed by the Flood of 1851 when the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers rose.
In 1851, Des Moines was incorporated and renamed to just Des Moines 6 years later as the state capital was moved to the city from Iowa City. Growth eventually exploded once a railroad link was finished in 1866. By 1900, Des Moines was the largest city in the state with 62,100 people, which was more than 97% white and less than 3% black.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Des Moines was:
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 216,853 | -153 | -0.07% |
| 2017 | 217,006 | 519 | 0.24% |
| 2016 | 216,487 | 1,115 | 0.52% |
| 2015 | 215,372 | 982 | 0.46% |
| 2014 | 214,390 | 2,355 | 1.11% |
| 2013 | 212,035 | 1,805 | 0.86% |
| 2012 | 210,230 | 2,360 | 1.14% |
| 2011 | 207,870 | 2,866 | 1.40% |
| 2010 | 205,004 | 6,322 | 0.31% |
| 2000 | 198,682 | 5,495 | 0.28% |
| 1990 | 193,187 | 2,184 | 0.11% |
| 1980 | 191,003 | -10,401 | -0.53% |
| 1970 | 201,404 | -7,578 | -0.37% |
| 1960 | 208,982 | 31,017 | 1.62% |
| 1950 | 177,965 | 18,146 | 1.08% |
| 1940 | 159,819 | 17,260 | 1.15% |
| 1930 | 142,559 | 16,091 | 1.20% |
| 1920 | 126,468 | 40,100 | 3.89% |
| 1910 | 86,368 | 24,229 | 3.35% |
| 1900 | 62,139 | 12,046 | 2.18% |
| 1890 | 50,093 | 27,685 | 8.38% |
| 1880 | 22,408 | 10,373 | 6.41% |
| 1870 | 12,035 | 8,070 | 11.74% |
| 1860 | 3,965 | 0.00% |
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 655,409 | 10,309 | 1.57% |
| 2017 | 645,100 | 10,441 | 1.62% |
| 2016 | 634,659 | 11,667 | 1.84% |
| 2015 | 622,992 | 10,145 | 1.63% |
| 2014 | 612,847 | 11,700 | 1.91% |
| 2013 | 601,147 | 10,947 | 1.82% |
| 2012 | 590,200 | 8,558 | 1.45% |
| 2011 | 581,642 | 9,517 | 1.64% |
| 2010 | 572,125 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
| White | 162,790 | 75.39% |
| Black or African American | 24,356 | 11.28% |
| Asian | 14,126 | 6.54% |
| Two or More Races | 8,589 | 3.98% |
| Some Other Race | 4,928 | 2.28% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 964 | 0.45% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 179 | 0.08% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
| All | 84,140 | 2.5 | 59.7 |
| Non Family | 36,153 | 1.33 | 48.1 |
| Married | 31,379 | 3.29 | 80.3 |
| Female | 12,249 | 3.6 | 42.8 |
| Male | 4,359 | 3.5 | 55.2 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
| Less Than 9th Grade | 8,978 | 6.40% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 10,563 | 7.53% |
| High School Graduate | 42,200 | 30.07% |
| Some College | 29,496 | 21.02% |
| Associates Degree | 12,869 | 9.17% |
| Bachelors Degree | 24,970 | 17.79% |
| Graduate Degree | 11,261 | 8.02% |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 92.32%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 30.20%.
$35,575
Average Earnings
$40,445
Average Male
$31,047
Average Female
81.67% of Des Moines residents speak only English, while 18.33% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 9.15% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
| White | 137,237 | 16,623 | 12.11% |
| Hispanic | 28,352 | 7,469 | 26.34% |
| Black | 23,865 | 7,409 | 31.05% |
| Multiple | 8,417 | 3,009 | 35.75% |
| Asian | 13,990 | 2,114 | 15.11% |
| Other | 4,877 | 1,331 | 27.29% |
| Native | 943 | 264 | 28.00% |
| Islander | 179 | 10 | 5.59% |
17.22%
Overall Poverty Rate
15.32%
Male Poverty Rate
19.05%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Des Moines is Multiple, with 35.75% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Des Moines is Islander, with 5.59% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.23%. Among those working part-time, it was 23.39%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 27.93%.
40.4%
Overall Marriage Rate
41.8%
Male Marriage Rate
39.1%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is 55-64, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
| White | 9,035 | 7.00% |
| Black | 783 | 4.94% |
| Hispanic | 262 | 1.57% |
| Asian | 120 | 1.18% |
| 2 or More | 90 | 2.47% |
| Other | 62 | 1.86% |
| Indian | 57 | 8.68% |
6.55%
Veteran Poverty Rate
27.59%
Veteran Disability Rate
70.3%
Labor Force Participation
66%
Employment Rate
6%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
87.43%
Native Born
12.57%
Foreign Born
7.96%
Non Citizen
87.43% of Des Moines residents were born in the United States, with 65.42% having been born in Iowa. 7.96% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.