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
38
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 Des Moines, WA are Highline College (1,106 degrees awarded in 2023).

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 StatesWashingtonKing County, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAKing County (Far Southwest)--Federal Way, Des Moines Cities & Vashon Island PUMA, WAKing County (Southwest Central)--Kent City PUMA, WAKing 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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Des Moines, WA
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    14.4k ± 1.27k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    4.16k ± 1.17k
  3. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    3.93k ± 832
19.8%
Hispanic Population
6.5k 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.

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.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Washington.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    248,556 ± 12,042 people
  2. India
    107,324 ± 7,987 people
  3. China
    89,838 ± 7,316 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Washington was Mexico, the natal country of 248,556 Washington residents, followed by India with 107,324 and China with 89,838.

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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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    522 ± 121
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    376 ± 173
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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

Voting results are not available for Des Moines, WA. Showing the available data for Washington.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (57.2%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (39%)
    Republican Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Washington

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Washington.
Patty Murray
Senator from Washington3
Assumed office on January 3, 1993
Maria Cantwell
Senator from Washington1
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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Des Moines, WA awarded 1,106 degrees. The student population of Des Moines, WA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,924 male students and 3,202 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Des Moines, WA are White (297 and 28.8%), Asian (241 and 23.4%), Hispanic or Latino (182 and 17.6%), and Black or African American (165 and 16%).

The largest universities in Des Moines, WA by number of degrees awarded are Highline College (1,106 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Des Moines, WA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (409 and 37%), Early Childhood Education & Teaching (115 and 10.4%), and Medical Assistant (102 and 9.22%).

The median tuition cost in Des Moines, WA for a public four year colleges is $3,633 for in-state students and $3,633 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 5,126 students enrolled in Des Moines, WA, 37.5% men and 62.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in Hispanic or Latino with 985 records, of which 66.5% were women and 33.5% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    409 degrees awarded
  2. Registered Nursing
    71 degrees awarded
  3. General Business
    46 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Des Moines, WA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 409 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Des Moines, WA according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Highline College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
1,106 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Highline College with 1,106 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 296 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Des Moines, WA, which is 0.365 times less than the 810 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 297 degrees mean that there were 1.23 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 241 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 4-year or above ($3,633) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($990) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($702) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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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 $3k+ range.

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

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Rent vs Own

60.6%
Homeownership
2024
64.9%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 60.6% of the housing units in Des Moines, WA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 60.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Des Moines, WA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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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 $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Des Moines, WA is from Washington.
0.468
2023 Wage GINI in Washington
0.47
2022 Wage GINI in Washington

In 2023, the income inequality in Washington was 0.468 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.276% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Washington was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (68.3%)
  2. Worked At Home (14.7%)
  3. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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