Des Moines-West Des Moines migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 21,961 people moved into the Des Moines metro and 19,396 moved out, a net of +2,565. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Rest of Iowa leads both directions, with 3,236 people in and 1,728 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 45–50% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net inflow has cooled over the last three years, from +5,073 in 2020–21 to +2,565 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
758,539
▲ 1.0% year over year · growing
Peak population
758,539
highest in the series shown (since 2000)
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: growth is led by births minus deaths (+3,056); domestic migration added +2,791 in 2025.
- Peak population: the 2025 estimate of 758,539 is the highest on record, in data going back to 2000.
Net income flow · 2022–23
+$77M
▲ $892M arrived · $815M left
Avg household income · movers
$65k in · $68k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 5%
Des Moines wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Des Moines metro in 2022–23 reported $892M in income (AGI). Households leaving took $815M with them, a net gain of $77M.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $65k of income, vs $68k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 5%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 50% of inbound and 45% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
Every mover in Des Moines is a future client
Shilo's AI listens to your calls, grades them, and shows you where deals slip away, so your next call is sharper.
