Have you ever wondered how many people are crammed into Des Moines in Iowa? Here is the answer:
Des Moines, Iowa has a population density of 865.71 inhabitants per square kilometer (2242.18 / sq mi)
That means the whole population of 203,433 people are living within an area of 234.99 sq km (90.73 sq mi).
As a reference: New York City has a population density of 6918 inhabitants per square kilometer (17918 / sq mi), thanks to it’s population of 8,398,748 inhabitants within an area of 1214 sq km (468.73 sq mi).
Des Moines ( (listen)) is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, which was shortened to “Des Moines” in 1857. It is located on, and named after, the Des Moines River, which likely was adapted from the early French name, Rivière des Moines, meaning “River of the Monks”. The city’s population was 214,237 as of the 2019 population estimate. The six-county metropolitan area is ranked 89th in terms of population in the United States with 655,409 residents according to the 2018 estimate by the United States Census Bureau, and is the largest metropolitan area fully located within the state. A portion of the larger Omaha, Nebraska, metropolitan area extends into three counties of southwest Iowa.Des Moines is a major center of the US insurance industry and has a sizable financial services and publishing business base. The city was credited as the “number one spot for U.S. insurance companies” in a Business Wire article and named the third-largest “insurance capital” of the world. The city is the headquarters for the Principal Financial Group, the Meredith Corporation, Ruan Transportation, TMC Transportation, EMC Insurance Companies, and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Other major corporations such as Wells Fargo, Voya Financial, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, ACE Limited, Marsh, Monsanto, and DuPont Pioneer have large operations in or near the metropolitan area. In recent years, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, and Facebook have built data-processing and logistical facilities in the Des Moines area. Forbes ranked Des Moines as the “Best Place for Business” in both 2010 and 2013. In 2014, NBC ranked Des Moines as the “Wealthiest City in America” according to its criteria.Des Moines is an important city in U.S. presidential politics; as the state’s capital, it is the site of the first caucuses of the presidential primary cycle. Many presidential candidates set up campaign headquarters in Des Moines. A 2007 article in The New York Times said, “If you have any desire to witness presidential candidates in the most close-up and intimate of settings, there is arguably no better place to go than Des Moines.”
Cities with a similar population density as Des Moines
Other cities that have a similar population density as Des Moines, Iowa are:
- Jeffersontown, Kentucky with a population density of 1,019 people per sq km (2,638 / sq mi).
- Lilburn, Georgia with a population density of 735 people per sq km (1,905 / sq mi).
- Burlington, North Carolina with a population density of 762 people per sq km (1,972 / sq mi).
- Ocoee, Florida with a population density of 851 people per sq km (2,204 / sq mi).
- Troy, Michigan with a population density of 929 people per sq km (2,407 / sq mi).
- Findlay, Ohio with a population density of 762 people per sq km (1,973 / sq mi).
- Twin Falls, Idaho with a population density of 928 people per sq km (2,402 / sq mi).
- Rowlett, Texas with a population density of 1,035 people per sq km (2,681 / sq mi).
- Parkersburg, West Virginia with a population density of 959 people per sq km (2,484 / sq mi).
- Spokane Valley, Washington with a population density of 912 people per sq km (2,361 / sq mi).
Cities with a similar population size as Des Moines
Here a list of cities that have a similar number of inhabitants like Des Moines, Iowa:
- Spokane, Washington with a population of 208,916 people
- Chula Vista, California with a population of 243,916 people
- Garland, Texas with a population of 226,876 people
- Yonkers, New York with a population of 195,976 people
- Fort Wayne, Indiana with a population of 253,691 people
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a population of 178,752 people
- Madison, Wisconsin with a population of 236,901 people
- Amarillo, Texas with a population of 190,695 people
- Little Rock, Arkansas with a population of 193,524 people
- Newport News, Virginia with a population of 182,020 people
Cities with a similar size as Des Moines
If you want to check which cities have a similar size as Des Moines, Iowa, here you go:
- North Port, Florida with 269.81 square kilometers (269.81 sq mi), population: 57,357
- Poquoson, Virginia with 203.30 square kilometers (203.30 sq mi), population: 12,104
- Dothan, Alabama with 233.00 square kilometers (233.00 sq mi), population: 65,496
- Independence, Missouri with 202.76 square kilometers (202.76 sq mi), population: 116,830
- Sacramento, California with 259.27 square kilometers (259.27 sq mi), population: 485,199
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota with 196.63 square kilometers (196.63 sq mi), population: 164,676
- Arlington, Texas with 257.88 square kilometers (257.88 sq mi), population: 365,438
- Lancaster, California with 244.91 square kilometers (244.91 sq mi), population: 156,633
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin with 250.85 square kilometers (250.85 sq mi), population: 600,155
- Lincoln, Nebraska with 242.07 square kilometers (242.07 sq mi), population: 280,364
Cities with the same name “Des Moines”
Same name but different game – do we have sister cities from other states:
- Des Moines, Washington with a population of 29,267 residents