How many homes in Des Moines, IA are overcrowded?

Name: Crowding and facilities in Des Moines, IA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

3.2% (±0.5 points) of occupied homes in Des Moines, IA have more than one occupant per room (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

0.7% have more than 1.5.

0.2% lack complete plumbing.

0.5% lack a complete kitchen.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

More than 1 per room: 3.2% (±0.5 points)
Lacking plumbing: 0.2%
Lacking a kitchen: 0.5%

Crowding and facilities in Des Moines

Share of occupied homes, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Des Moines	Polk County	Iowa	United States
More than 1 person per room	3.2% (±0.5 points)	2.4% (±0.4 points)	1.6% (±0.1 points)	3.4%
More than 1.5 people per room	0.7% (±0.2 points)	0.6% (±0.2 points)	0.5% (±0.1 points)	1.2%
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2% (±0.2 points)	0.2% (±0.1 points)	0.3% (±0.1 points)	0.4%
Lacking a complete kitchen	0.5% (±0.2 points)	0.6% (±0.1 points)	0.8% (±0.1 points)	0.8%

A room is any whole room other than a bathroom, hall or porch; more than one person per room is the Census Bureau’s usual measure of crowding.

Complete plumbing means hot and cold running water and a bath or shower; a complete kitchen means a sink with a faucet, a stove or range and a refrigerator.

In Des Moines, the share of crowded homes is higher than in Polk County (2.4%).

It is also higher than in Iowa (1.6%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (3.4%).

Crowded homes in places near Des Moines

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Des Moines
Place	Distance	Crowded homes	Compared with this place
Des Moines	—	3.2% (±0.5 points)	—
Pleasant Hill	5.7 mi	1.9% (±2.7 points)	Not measurably different
Windsor Heights	5.7 mi	3.0% (±3.5 points)	Not measurably different
Carlisle	7.1 mi	3.0% (±3.3 points)	Not measurably different
Saylorville	7.5 mi	0.0% (±2.5 points)	Lower
Norwalk	7.6 mi	0.9% (±0.9 points)	Lower
Altoona	8.6 mi	1.2% (±1.0 points)	Lower
West Des Moines	9.0 mi	1.6% (±0.6 points)	Lower
Urbandale	9.8 mi	2.6% (±1.1 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Saylorville, IA (0.0%), Norwalk, IA (0.9%), Altoona, IA (1.2%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Des Moines

How many homes in Des Moines are overcrowded?

3.2% of occupied homes in Des Moines, IA have more than one person per room (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many homes in Des Moines lack plumbing or a kitchen?

0.2% lack complete plumbing facilities and 0.5% lack complete kitchen facilities.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Des Moines city, Iowa

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Des Moines city, Iowa (place:21000, in state:19).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0078PE, DP04_0078PM, DP04_0079PE, DP04_0079PM, DP04_0073PE, DP04_0073PM, DP04_0074PE, DP04_0074PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.