West Des Moines, IA

Single-footprint Census roll-up for West Des Moines, IA: 2 USPS ZIPs, population 55,278. Open the primary ZIP for household income, housing tenure, and commute from ACS 2023 5-Year Estimates.

U.S. Census Bureau, SimpleMaps US ZIP Code Database, delivery-area ZIP coverage

ACS city ledger plate

Sheet WEST-DES-MOINES-IA · West Des Moines, IA 2 ZIPs · 55,278 pop · #7288/25278 · Polk County

INC-HIGH · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-FEW · OWN-LOW · POP-SMALL · SPREAD-TIGHT · HOME-MID

  • INC-HIGH $86,470
  • RANK-UPPER #7288/25278
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Altoona
  • BOOK-FEW 2 ZIPs
  • OWN-LOW 58% owners
  • POP-SMALL 55,278
  • SPREAD-TIGHT 50265→50266
  • HOME-MID $313,700

Nearest income peer: Altoona, IA (+ $1,977 income $)

Instrument codes from this city’s ACS household income, national rank, county-peer gap, ZIP book, owner tenure, population scale, intra-city income spread, and home-value band, not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around West Des Moines

Lowest/highest poles plus county-sharing cities nearest West Des Moines on average ZIP median household income. Full ladder: /cities.

median HH income

What this shows County-sharing peers only, not the full US city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the mosaic is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-25

National city placement

According to ACS 5-Year Estimates, West Des Moines, IA sits among US cities with an above-median household income, on a small-city population base, across a handful of delivery areas.

Top 29%
household income vs 25,278 US cities
55,278
city population (Census)
2
USPS ZIP codes covered
$86,470
avg ZIP median income

Income percentile ranks this city's average ZIP median household income against 25,278 US cities with ACS income on at least one ZIP. Scale and ZIP-spread words come from Census population and USPS ZIP coverage.

Above-median income on a short ZIP list (2) - lead code 50265 (31,653 residents). Household income $86,470 is the roll-up; open the ZIP for tenure and commute.

Owner-occupancy is comparatively low (58.1%) for this income tier, rent $1,219 may matter more than the home-value average.

Within Iowa, Stanton is the closest lower-income city and Guernsey the closest higher-income city by average ZIP household income. Their 1 and 1 ZIP footprints are the immediate statewide comparison set for West Des Moines.

Within-city ZIP comparison

Where the ZIP codes inside West Des Moines differ

The published income range is comparatively compact across the ZIPs in West Des Moines: $85,915 in ZIP 50265 to $87,025 in 50266. The city average is therefore a more representative summary here, though each ZIP page still carries its own housing and demographic record.

Income high-to-low ratio
1.0×

50265 to 50266

Home-value high-to-low ratio
1.2×

50265 to 50266

Poverty-rate spread
1 points

50265 to 50266

Derived from the published ACS 2023 ZIP-level records shown on this site. A high-to-low ratio compares the highest and lowest available ZIP values; it is not a score or forecast.

Population concentration

Lead ZIP 50265 skews compact West Des Moines

In this 2-ZIP cluster, 50265 covers about 57% of West Des Moines's 55,278 residents. City averages lean toward that lead; open a thinner sibling ZIP for the contrast the mean hides.

Census ZBP business roll-up

Employer-heavy short list in West Des Moines

Citywide ZBP: 2,790 establishments, 66,307 employees , annual payroll $5,055,141k (~50 establishments per 1,000 residents) across 2 of 2 ZIPs. Peak business ZIP 50266 (1,920 units) ; leading NAICS Health care and social assistance (423) · also Finance and insurance · Professional, scientific, and technical services .

View your shortlist →

ZIP Codes in West Des Moines, IA

These ZIP codes sit in Polk County, which covers 31 ZIP codes in all; 2 of them fall in West Des Moines. See the Polk County roll-up →

West Des Moines sits in the lower half of Polk County on income: Ankeny, Urbandale and Johnston report more, and only Des Moines reports less. Polk City marks the far end of that range at $153,011, 77% above West Des Moines.

Side-by-side: Compare 50265 vs 50266 →

ZIP Code Population Median income Establishments Density
50265 31,653 $85,915 870 709
50266 23,625 $87,025 1,920 551

West Des Moines roll-ups here are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial or relocation advice. ACS and Census ZBP figures are estimates; confirm the current table against Census before a money or move decision involving West Des Moines, .