akashic
1876–2024
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA·Iowa

Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA delivered R+1.0 in 2024.

2008 — 2024·5 elections
IA
2024 presidential election
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
TrumpR+1.0
2024 presidential margin by county for Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, IAA map of the constituent counties of Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, IA, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), seated within the faint outlines of the surrounding states.Story County, IA · D+10.3Boone County, IA · R+21.5Madison County, IA · R+38.5Guthrie County, IA · R+37.8Dallas County, IA · R+4.7Mahaska County, IA · R+51.4Marion County, IA · R+37.6Polk County, IA · D+10.8Warren County, IA · R+20.6Jasper County, IA · R+27.5
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican49.6%240,471
Kamala HarrisDemocratic48.6%235,477
OtherAll other candidates1.8%8,865
D+60
R+60
10 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 timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −1.0% in 2024.flipped R · 2024−1.0%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892−15.6%
1896−12.3%
1900−23.2%
1904−43.2%
1908−19.6%
1912+8.7%
1916−2.8%
1920−39.6%
1924−46.3%
1928−37.6%
1932+3.0%
1936+10.0%
1940+4.8%
1944+4.7%
1948+8.1%
1952−19.1%
1956−13.3%
1960−13.1%
1964+30.9%
1968−5.1%
1972−11.2%
1976+5.0%
1980−4.7%
1984−0.1%
1988+17.1%
1992+7.7%
1996+12.7%
2000+1.2%
2004−0.3%
2008+8.8%
2012+7.2%
2016+1.0%
2020+3.7%
2024−1.0%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−1.0%
235,477240,471484,813
D
+3.7%
243,109225,427479,209
D
+1.0%
196,786192,529427,226
D
+7.2%
219,472189,322417,039
D
+8.8%
210,829176,028394,120
R
−0.3%
183,976185,033372,109
D
+1.2%
154,941151,267314,987
D
+12.7%
148,807112,768284,163
D
+7.7%
138,906115,651303,200
D
+17.1%
154,531109,129265,337
R
−0.1%
138,937139,192280,062
R
−4.7%
113,637126,508274,471
D
+5.0%
134,433121,279262,302
R
−11.2%
107,950135,833249,393
R
−5.1%
96,231107,428219,730
D
+30.9%
140,31173,883215,045
R
−13.1%
99,017128,880228,062
R
−13.3%
96,118125,615222,119
R
−19.1%
88,714131,099221,977
D
+8.1%
89,65475,774170,976
D
+4.7%
90,76782,528174,623
D
+4.8%
103,48693,895198,289
D
+10.0%
96,77778,834179,241
D
+3.0%
76,33371,742154,020
R
−37.6%
46,418103,307151,129
R
−46.3%
18,36186,367146,761
R
−39.6%
39,20993,273136,407
R
−2.8%
33,88535,93572,302
O
+8.7%
23,09217,09668,904
R
−19.6%
26,19239,91369,923
R
−43.2%
15,98944,79966,721
R
−23.2%
27,04344,09873,598
R
−12.3%
30,56339,26970,879
R
−15.6%
22,37031,69359,630
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Demographics

Demographic profile

Demographic Profile

Key indicators compared across containing geographies

Demographic Profile. Key indicators compared across containing geographies. ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error. Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.
IndicatorDes Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IACombined statistical areaIowaStateUnited StatesNation
Race & Ethnicity
White81.3%84.2%61.0%
Black4.9%3.9%12.2%
Asian4.2%2.5%6.0%
Two or more races6.5%6.6%12.6%
Other race3.0%2.9%8.2%
Hispanic or Latino7.8%7.3%19.3%
Income & Age
Median household income$83,997$75,059$84,427
Poverty rate10.1%11.1%12.5%
Median age36.138.839.1
Age 18–2411.0%10.0%9.2%
Age 65 and older14.8%18.1%17.2%
Education & Language
Speaks a non-English language at home11.6%9.2%22.3%
Ancestry
Largest ancestryGerman 26.3%German 30.5%German 12.5%
2nd-largest ancestryIrish 13.3%Irish 12.8%English 9.5%
3rd-largest ancestryEnglish 12.0%English 10.2%Irish 9.4%
Religion
Catholic11.2%14.7%18.6%
Evangelical Protestant10.5%10.9%16.5%
Unaffiliated or unclaimed60.6%55.2%51.5%
Mainline Protestant13.6%15.8%5.2%

ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error.

Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
26.3%
Irish
13.3%
English
12.0%
American
3.7%
Italian
2.9%
Scottish
1.8%
French
1.4%
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: 36.1 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.1%
1.8%
75–84
2.4%
4.2%
65–74
4.6%
5.6%
55–64
5.7%
5.9%
45–54
5.7%
7.1%
35–44
6.7%
7.1%
25–34
6.8%
5.8%
18–24
5.2%
8.9%
5–17
8.5%
3.1%
<5
3.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$83,997
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA ranks near the middle of US counties.
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA$83,997
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
10.1%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.3%
Working age (18–64)9.8%
Seniors (65+)7.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
88.4%
speak English only
Spanish5.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander2.8%
Other Indo-European2.3%
Other languages1.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
13.6%
Catholic
11.2%
Evangelical Protestant
10.5%
Muslim
1.3%
Latter-day Saints
1.0%
Black Protestant
0.7%
Other Christian
0.5%
Buddhist
0.2%
Orthodox Christian
0.1%
Other faiths
0.1%
Hindu
0.1%
Unaffiliated or not counted60.6%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. The unaffiliated-or-not-counted share is everyone not claimed as an adherent by any reporting body — uncounted congregations as well as the religiously unaffiliated.

Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA sits in the Corn Belt. In 2024 it voted Republican.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 30.9 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 46.3 points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the region moved 4.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 1.0 points.

A population of 913,917, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $83,997 describe the region.

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-Ames, IA, Iowa. Akashic. https://akashic.app/csa/218/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa voted Republican by 1.0 points (R+1.0), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 484,813 votes cast, 235,477 went Democratic and 240,471 went Republican.
What is Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa's political typology?
Akashic places Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa in the "" 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 region has voted Democratic 15 times, Republican 18 times, and other 1 times.
When did Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa?
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa has a population of 913,917 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-Ames, IA, Iowa?
Median household income in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa is $83,997 — 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-Ames, IA, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 18 went Republican. The region's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.