What is the median rent in West Des Moines, IA?

Name: Median rent in West 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 West Des Moines, IA is $1,237 (±$30) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 13,556 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In West Des Moines, the median gross rent went from $1,017 in 2015–2019 to $1,237 in 2020–2024 (+21.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,237 (±$30)
Rented homes: 13,556 (±856)
$2,000 or more: 5.0%
Since 2015–2019: +21.6%

How much rent costs in West Des Moines

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	West Des Moines	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Less than $500	1.7% (±1.1 points)	4.3%	8.4%	6.3%
$500 to $999	18.2% (±2.7 points)	29.8%	44.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	56.5% (±3.6 points)	43.8%	32.3%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	18.7% (±2.6 points)	16.3%	9.8%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	2.5% (±0.9 points)	4.1%	2.7%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	0.9% (±0.6 points)	0.7%	0.6%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	1.6% (±1.0 points)	1.0%	1.4%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,000 to $1,499, paid by 56.5% of renting households.

5.0% of rented homes in West Des Moines cost $2,000 or more a month.

West Des Moines against Polk County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	West Des Moines	Polk County	Iowa	United States
Median gross rent	$1,237 (±$30)	$1,149 (±$16)	$972 (±$6)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	13,556 (±856)	65,326 (±1,758)	350,667 (±3,497)	42,849,984

In West Des Moines, median gross rent is higher 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, West Des Moines ranks 6 of 15 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 28 of 727.

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

How rent in West 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	$1,017 (±$36)	$1,237 (±$30)	+21.6%	No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent	38.9% (±1.8 points)	42.6% (±2.3 points)	+3.7 percentage points	Measurable increase
Rental vacancy rate	5.9% (±2.3 points)	5.1% (±2.3 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 West Des Moines

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with West Des Moines
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
West Des Moines	—	$1,237 (±$30)	—
Clive	4.5 mi	$1,073 (±$113)	Lower
Cumming	4.6 mi	$1,163 (±$459)	Not measurably different
Windsor Heights	5.2 mi	$1,498 (±$339)	Not measurably different
Waukee	5.9 mi	$1,383 (±$85)	Higher
Urbandale	6.0 mi	$1,211 (±$55)	Not measurably different
Norwalk	6.4 mi	$838 (±$126)	Lower
Van Meter	8.6 mi	$1,063 (±$380)	Not measurably different
Grimes	8.9 mi	$1,251 (±$140)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Clive, IA ($1,073), Norwalk, IA ($838).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Waukee, IA ($1,383).

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
1	Windsor Heights	$1,498 (±$339)
2	Johnston	$1,338 (±$72)
3	Bondurant	$1,337 (±$122)
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)

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 West Des Moines

What is the average rent in West Des Moines, IA?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in West Des Moines is $1,237 (±$30) 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 West Des Moines?

In West Des Moines, the median gross rent went from $1,017 in 2015–2019 to $1,237 in 2020–2024 (+21.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years; the change is not measurably different from the rise in prices.

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

5.0% of rented homes in West Des Moines have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 1.7% cost less than $500.

Is rent in West Des Moines higher than in Polk County?

In West Des Moines, median gross rent is higher 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 West Des Moines city, Iowa (place:83910, 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.