combined metro areaDes Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+0.3
2008D+8.8
2012D+7.2
2016D+1.0
2020D+3.7
2024R+1.0
full record · 1892 → 2024
presidential returns
2024 turnout 72.9% of 664,620 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
235,477
240,471
8,865
484,813
664,620
72.9%
2020
243,109
225,427
10,673
479,209
629,432
76.1%
2016
196,786
192,529
37,911
427,226
594,199
71.9%
2012
219,472
189,322
8,245
417,039
562,072
74.2%
2008
210,829
176,028
7,263
394,120
540,772
72.9%
2004
183,976
185,033
3,100
372,109
519,472†
71.6%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
10 counties by 2024 margin · County returns · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupDes Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IAIowaUnited States
German26.3%30.5%12.5%
Irish13.3%12.8%9.4%
English12.0%10.2%9.5%
Norwegian4.3%4.1%—
Dutch3.8%2.7%—
American3.7%4.6%5.3%
Italian2.8%1.6%4.8%
Swedish2.3%1.9%—
Mexican5.1%5.0%11.3%
Salvadoran0.5%0.3%0.7%
Puerto Rican0.4%0.3%1.8%
Guatemalan0.3%0.4%0.5%
Honduran0.2%0.2%0.3%
African American†2.9%2.6%9.9%
Sudanese0.5%0.2%—
African0.4%0.3%0.5%
Liberian0.4%——
Somali0.2%——
Asian Indian0.9%0.5%1.4%
Chinese0.5%0.3%1.3%
Burmese0.5%0.3%—
Vietnamese0.4%0.3%0.6%
Korean0.3%0.2%0.4%
Laotian0.3%0.2%—
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
Iowa
United States
Median age
36.1
38.8
39.1
Age 18–24
11.0%
10.0%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.8%
18.1%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
Iowa
United States
Median household income
$83,997
$75,059
$84,427
Poverty rate
10.1%
11.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
40.5%
31.8%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
Iowa
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
11.6%
9.2%
22.3%
Spanish
5.1%
4.7%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
1.0%
0.6%
2.0%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.7%
1.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
Iowa
United States
Catholic
11.2%
14.7%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
10.5%
10.9%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
60.6%
55.2%
51.5%
Mainline Protestant
13.6%
15.8%
5.2%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
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
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
48.6%Harris235,477
49.6%Trump240,471
1.8%
R+1.0
R+4.7
D+0.4
484,813
D
50.7%Biden243,109
47.0%Trump225,427
2.2%
D+3.7
D+2.7
R+0.8
479,209
D
46.1%Clinton196,786
45.1%Trump192,529
8.9%
D+1.0
R+6.2
R+1.1
427,226
D
52.6%Obama219,472
45.4%Romney189,322
2.0%
D+7.2
R+1.6
D+3.4
417,039
D
53.5%Obama210,829
44.7%McCain176,028
1.8%
D+8.8
D+9.1
D+1.6
394,120
R
49.4%Kerry183,976
49.7%Bush185,033
0.8%
R+0.3
R+1.5
D+2.2
372,109
D
49.2%Gore154,941
48.0%Bush151,267
2.8%
D+1.2
R+11.5
D+0.6
314,987
D
52.4%Clinton148,807
39.7%Dole112,768
7.9%
D+12.7
D+5.0
D+4.2
284,163
D
45.8%Clinton138,906
38.1%Bush115,651
16.0%
D+7.7
R+9.4
D+2.1
303,200
D
58.2%Dukakis154,531
41.1%Bush109,129
0.6%
D+17.1
D+17.2
D+24.8
265,337
R
49.6%Mondale138,937
49.7%Reagan139,192
0.7%
R+0.1
D+4.6
D+18.1
280,062
R
41.4%Carter113,637
46.1%Reagan126,508
12.5%
R+4.7
R+9.7
D+5.0
274,471
D
51.3%Carter134,433
46.2%Ford121,279
2.5%
D+5.0
D+16.2
D+3.0
262,302
R
43.3%McGovern107,950
54.5%Nixon135,833
2.2%
R+11.2
R+6.1
D+12.0
249,393
R
43.8%Humphrey96,231
48.9%Nixon107,428
7.3%
R+5.1
R+36.0
R+4.4
219,730
D
65.2%Johnson140,311
34.4%Goldwater73,883
0.4%
D+30.9
D+44.0
D+8.3
215,045
R
43.4%Kennedy99,017
56.5%Nixon128,880
0.1%
R+13.1
D+0.2
R+13.3
228,062
R
43.3%Stevenson96,118
56.6%Eisenhower125,615
0.2%
R+13.3
D+5.8
D+2.1
222,119
R
40.0%Stevenson88,714
59.1%Eisenhower131,099
1.0%
R+19.1
R+27.2
R+8.3
221,977
D
52.4%Truman89,654
44.3%Dewey75,774
3.2%
D+8.1
D+3.4
D+3.6
170,976
D
52.0%Roosevelt90,767
47.3%Dewey82,528
0.8%
D+4.7
R+0.1
R+2.8
174,623
D
52.2%Roosevelt103,486
47.4%Willkie93,895
0.5%
D+4.8
R+5.2
R+5.1
198,289
D
54.0%Roosevelt96,777
44.0%Landon78,834
2.0%
D+10.0
D+7.0
R+14.3
179,241
D
49.6%Roosevelt76,333
46.6%Hoover71,742
3.9%
D+3.0
D+40.6
R+14.8
154,020
R
30.7%Smith46,418
68.4%Hoover103,307
0.9%
R+37.6
D+8.7
R+20.2
151,129
R
12.5%Davis18,361
58.8%Coolidge86,367
28.6%
R+46.3
R+6.7
R+21.2
146,761
R
28.7%Cox39,209
68.4%Harding93,273
2.9%
R+39.6
R+36.8
R+13.4
136,407
R
46.9%Wilson33,885
49.7%Hughes35,935
3.4%
R+2.8
R+11.5
R+6.0
72,302
O
33.5%Wilson23,092
24.8%Taft17,096
41.7%
Roosevelt +8.2
D+28.3
R+10.8
68,904
R
37.5%Bryan26,192
57.1%Taft39,913
5.5%
R+19.6
D+23.6
R+10.1
69,923
R
24.0%Parker15,989
67.1%Roosevelt44,799
8.9%
R+43.2
R+20.0
R+23.5
66,721
R
36.7%Bryan27,043
59.9%McKinley44,098
3.3%
R+23.2
R+10.9
R+15.6
73,598
R
43.1%Bryan30,563
55.4%McKinley39,269
1.5%
R+12.3
D+3.4
R+6.2
70,879
R
37.5%Cleveland22,370
53.1%Harrison31,693
9.3%
R+15.6
—
R+17.3
59,630
Congressional elections · 2 Senate races
U.S. Senate
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2022
D
50.3%179,398
49.5%176,601
356,657
2020
D
50.0%237,076
47.1%223,335
474,255
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2024D+0.9
vs
Presidential vote · 2024R+1.0
Registration and the presidential vote track closely here — within 2.0 points.
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
Voter registration in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA
Year
Total registered
Democratic
Republican
Unaffiliated
Other
2008
544,265
202,435
158,334
183,134
362
2010
516,191
185,503
160,904
169,156
628
2012
539,374
185,483
171,742
181,199
950
2014
542,003
178,469
171,111
190,397
2,026
2016
569,434
193,908
183,857
187,736
3,933
2018
581,569
199,285
178,895
197,524
5,865
2020
616,949
228,729
192,898
188,954
6,368
2022
622,175
220,531
194,272
200,860
6,512
2024
637,173
209,337
203,403
217,583
6,850
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
+2,386 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +54,927 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Domestic migration in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA: net domestic migration by year
Year
Net domestic migration
2011
+3,338
2012
+2,246
2013
+4,891
2014
+6,112
2015
+3,798
2016
+4,583
2017
+4,020
2018
+3,385
2019
+3,301
2021
+6,387
2022
+3,203
2023
+3,055
2024
+4,222
2025
+2,386
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 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $83,997 describe the region. The region's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA and Madison-Janesville-Beloit, WI.
Akashic
Political twins — combined metros
The combined metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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.
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.
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 34 presidential elections in Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA, Iowa from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 18 went Republican.
