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

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

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+2MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: BellwetherAkashic 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 results by constituent county

6 counties · 1 D · 5 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

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

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.

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.

Median household income

2024 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Democratic margin in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA has rarely exceeded thirty-two points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded forty-nine points. 2024 delivered the metro to the Democratic candidate by two points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most metros. A 80% non-Hispanic-white share, a 9% poverty rate, and a median household income of $86,618 — all within the broad national range.

Cite this page

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

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.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 archetype?

Akashic classifies Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, Iowa as a "Bellwether" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. 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 archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA votes the way the country votes.

Key facts

Demographics

Frequently asked questions