What is the median rent in Des Moines, IA?

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

The median gross rent in Des Moines, IA is $1,090 (±$21) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 34,658 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Des Moines, the median gross rent went from $855 in 2015–2019 to $1,090 in 2020–2024 (+27.5%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,090 (±$21)
Rented homes: 34,658 (±1,194)
$2,000 or more: 3.6%
Since 2015–2019: +27.5%

How much rent costs in Des Moines

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Des Moines	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Less than $500	5.8% (±1.4 points)	4.3%	8.4%	6.3%
$500 to $999	34.7% (±2.3 points)	29.8%	44.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	41.1% (±2.3 points)	43.8%	32.3%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	14.8% (±1.9 points)	16.3%	9.8%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	2.9% (±0.9 points)	4.1%	2.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.2% (±0.1 points)	0.7%	0.6%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.5% (±0.3 points)	1.0%	1.4%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 41.1% of renting households.

3.6% of rented homes in Des Moines cost $2,000 or more a month.

Des Moines against Polk County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Des Moines	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Median gross rent	$1,090 (±$21)	$1,149 (±$16)	$972 (±$6)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	34,658 (±1,194)	65,326 (±1,758)	350,667 (±3,497)	42,849,984

In Des Moines, median gross rent is lower than in Polk County ($1,149).

It is also higher than in Iowa ($972).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

In Polk County, Des Moines ranks 10 of 15 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 69 of 727.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Des Moines has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$855 (±$10)	$1,090 (±$21)	+27.5%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	39.9% (±0.9 points)	39.5% (±1.1 points)	−0.4 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Rental vacancy rate	5.8% (±0.9 points)	5.0% (±1.1 points)	−0.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Des Moines

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Des Moines
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Des Moines	—	$1,090 (±$21)	—
Pleasant Hill	5.7 mi	$1,215 (±$105)	Higher
Windsor Heights	5.7 mi	$1,498 (±$339)	Higher
Carlisle	7.1 mi	$1,000 (±$555)	Not measurably different
Norwalk	7.6 mi	$838 (±$126)	Lower
Altoona	8.6 mi	$1,235 (±$104)	Higher
West Des Moines	9.0 mi	$1,237 (±$30)	Higher
Urbandale	9.8 mi	$1,211 (±$55)	Higher
Cumming	9.9 mi	$1,163 (±$459)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Norwalk, IA ($838).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Pleasant Hill, IA ($1,215), Windsor Heights, IA ($1,498), Altoona, IA ($1,235).

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

Median gross rent across Polk County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
4	Ankeny	$1,319 (±$72)
5	Grimes	$1,251 (±$140)
6	West Des Moines	$1,237 (±$30)
7	Altoona	$1,235 (±$104)
8	Pleasant Hill	$1,215 (±$105)
9	Urbandale	$1,211 (±$55)
10	Des Moines	$1,090 (±$21)
11	Clive	$1,073 (±$113)
12	Elkhart	$836 (±$805)
13	Polk City	$782 (±$177)
14	Mitchellville	$779 (±$52)
15	Runnells	$444 (±$275)

Showing 12 of 15 places in Polk County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Des Moines

What is the average rent in Des Moines, IA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Des Moines is $1,090 (±$21) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Des Moines?

In Des Moines, the median gross rent went from $855 in 2015–2019 to $1,090 in 2020–2024 (+27.5%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Des Moines cost more than $2,000 a month?

3.6% of rented homes in Des Moines have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 5.8% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Des Moines higher than in Polk County?

In Des Moines, median gross rent is lower than in Polk County ($1,149).

It is also higher than in Iowa ($972).

It is lower than the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

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 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

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.