How many people live in Des Moines County, IA?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 38,400 people living in Des Moines County, IA. That makes Des Moines County the 16th-most populous county in Iowa. It is home to 1.2% of people living in the state.
38.4K
population of Des Moines County, IA (2024)
1.2%
County share of the Iowa population (2024)
About 38,400 people lived in Des Moines County, IA in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Des Moines County, IA’s age demographics?
About 8,500 Des Moines County, IA residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 22.2% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.9% of Iowa’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 8,400 Des Moines County residents, or 21.8% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 22.5% of Iowa’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Des Moines County, IA's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Des Moines County, IA’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 84.7% of the Des Moines County population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Des Moines County also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.8%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Des Moines County’s Hispanic population accounts for 4.1%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 6.4% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Des Moines County, IA has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than Iowa as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Des Moines County, IA is Burlington with about 23,600 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Des Moines County, IA ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Burlington | 23,637 |
| 2. | West Burlington | 3,249 |
| 3. | Mediapolis | 1,679 |
| 4. | Danville | 910 |
| 5. | Middletown | 365 |
| 6. | Balance of Des Moines County | 8,571 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
