Des Moines, WA

Census Place

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2024 Population

32,823

US Senator

Patty Murray

Democratic Party

US Senator

Maria Cantwell

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

1.33% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

12.1%

13.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$92,483

3% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$597,000

10.6% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

15,377

1.86% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Des Moines, WA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

86.2% of the residents in Des Moines, WA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in N/A are Highline College (1,179 degrees awarded in 2024).

In 2024, the median property value in Des Moines, WA was $597,000, and the homeownership rate was 60.6%.

Most people in Des Moines, WA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 30.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Des Moines, WA was 2 cars per household.

United States Washington King County, WA Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA King County (Far Southwest)--Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WA King County (Southwest Central)--Kent City PUMA, WA King County (West Central)--Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila Cities & White Center PUMA, WA

Population & Diversity

Des Moines, WA is home to a population of 32.8k people, from which 86.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 26% of Des Moines, WA residents were born outside of the country (8.52k people).

In 2024, there were 3.47 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.4k people) in Des Moines, WA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 4.16k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.93k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

86.2%

2024 Citizenship

85.5%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 86.2% of Des Moines, WA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Des Moines, WA was 85.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Des Moines, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Des Moines, WA

White (Non-Hispanic)
14.4k ± 1.27k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.16k ± 1.17k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
3.93k ± 832

19.8%

Hispanic Population

6.5k people

19.8% of the people in Des Moines, WA are hispanic (6.5k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Des Moines, WA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
247,954 ± 12,030 people
India
116,227 ± 8,308 people
China
94,449 ± 7,500 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 247,954 Washington residents, followed by India with 116,227 and China with 94,449.

Foreign-Born Population

26%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

8.52k people

26.5%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

8.62k people

As of 2024, 26% of Des Moines, WA residents (8.52k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Des Moines, WA was 26.5%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Des Moines, WA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
522 ± 121
Gulf War (2001-)
376 ± 173
Gulf War (1990s)
232 ± 134

Des Moines, WA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.39 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Des Moines, WA.

Health

90.8% of the population of Des Moines, WA has health coverage, with 42.6% on employee plans, 24.2% on Medicaid, 13.3% on Medicare, 9.49% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Washington see 1,202 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,202 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1152 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 186 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.9% under 18 years, 21.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48% were men and 52% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.2%

Uninsured

42.6%

Employer Coverage

24.2%

Medicaid

13.3%

Medicare

9.49%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Des Moines, WA declined by 8.06% from 10% to 9.2%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Des Moines, WA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Economy

The economy of Des Moines, WA employs 15.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Des Moines, WA were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,046 people), Transportation & Warehousing (1,766 people), and Retail Trade (1,513 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($127,619), Public Administration ($102,917), and Finance & Insurance ($95,886).

Employment

Occupations

15.4k

2024 Value

± 1,143

−1.86%

1 Year decline

± 10.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Des Moines, WA declined at a rate of −1.86%, from 15.7k employees to 15.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Des Moines, WA, are Management Occupations (1,605 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,370 people), and Business & Financial Operations Occupations (1,122 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Des Moines, WA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Washington (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

15.4k

2024 Value

± 1,143

−1.86%

1 Year decline

± 10.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Des Moines, WA declined at a rate of −1.86%, from 15.7k employees to 15.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Des Moines, WA, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,046 people), Transportation & Warehousing (1,766 people), and Retail Trade (1,513 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Des Moines, WA, though some of these residents may live in Des Moines, WA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$61,433

Median earning men ± $4,630

$52,763

Median earning women ± $5,123

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($104,375), Manufacturing ($84,363), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($83,289).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($90,737), Public Administration ($80,375), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($72,250).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Y-Axis

3.62%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 3.58M people employed in Washington. This represents a 3.62% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.3%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Washington.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing the state of Washington. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Washington is currently represented by 10 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Des Moines, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.

2024 Election Results

Kamala Harris (57.2%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (39%)
Republican Party
Robert Kennedy (1.4%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Washington went to Kamala Harris with 57.2% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (39%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.4%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Washington for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.

Patty Murray

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 1993

Maria Cantwell

Senator from Washington

Assumed office on January 3, 2001

Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell are the senators currently representing Washington.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Washington over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2024, universities in Des Moines, WA awarded 1,179 degrees. The student population of Des Moines, WA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 2,037 male students and 3,555 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Des Moines, WA are White (301 and 27.2%), Hispanic or Latino (245 and 22.1%), Asian (208 and 18.8%), and Black or African American (196 and 17.7%).

The largest universities in Des Moines, WA by number of degrees awarded are Highline College (1,179 and 100%).

The most popular majors in N/A are Liberal Arts & Sciences (393 and 33.3%), Early Childhood Education & Teaching (164 and 13.9%), and Medical Assistant (109 and 9.25%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $3,742 for in-state students and $3,742 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 5,592 students enrolled in Des Moines, WA, 36.4% men and 63.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 1,143 records, of which 70.6% were women and 29.4% men.

Completions

Universities

Gender

Race

Highline College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,179 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Highline College with 1,179 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 345 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Des Moines, WA, which is 0.414 times less than the 834 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 301 degrees mean that there were 1.23 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 245 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Des Moines, WA was $597,000 in 2024, which is 1.79 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $539,800 to $597,000, a 10.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Des Moines, WA is 60.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Des Moines, WA have an average commute time of 30.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Des Moines, WA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$597,000

Median Property Value 2024

±$17,334

$7,232

Median Property Taxes

±$541

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Des Moines, WA the largest share of households pay taxes in the N/A range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Des Moines, WA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$92,483

Median Household Income

± $8,944

11.9k

Number of Households

± 916

In 2024, the median household income of the 11.9k households in Des Moines, WA grew to $92,483 from the previous year's value of $89,787.

The following chart displays the households in Des Moines, WA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the N/A range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Des Moines, WA is from Washington.

0.469

2024 Wage GINI in Washington

0.468

2023 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2024, the income inequality in Washington was 0.469 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0979% growth from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Washington in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Washington across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (68.3%)
Worked At Home (14.7%)
Carpooled (9.51%)

In 2024, 68.3% of workers in Des Moines, WA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.7%) and those who carpooled to work (9.51%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

30.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Des Moines, WA have a longer commute time (30.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.34% of the workforce in Des Moines, WA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Des Moines, WA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Des Moines, WA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Des Moines, WA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

12.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Des Moines, WA (3.9k out of 32.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Des Moines, WA is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.