Hot-summer humid continental
West Des Moines, Iowa
Polk County, Iowa · Population 70k · 823 ft elevation
Living in West Des Moines
West Des Moines has a hot-summer humid continental climate: hot summers (July highs around 86°F) and cold winters (January lows around 14°F).
Precipitation is wet at about 37″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (37″ a season).
Skies are sunny (62% of possible sunshine). Summers get sticky, with about 36 muggy days a year.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 44, with about 2 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
West Des Moines at a glance
- Population
- 70k
- Elevation
- 823 ft
- Average daily high
- 61°F24th percentile
- Average daily low
- 42°F30th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 37″30th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 37″77th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,800 hrs49th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4462th percentile
- Median home value
- $286k55th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,194/mo50th percentile
- Median household income
- $85k61th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.60%77th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 3.8%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 6.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.5%
- Homes with broadband
- 93%62th percentile
- Walkability index
- 12.179th percentile
- Average commute
- 18 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 76%90th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 74%
- Violent crime rate
- 147 per 100k44th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,529 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9254th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 2424th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 1%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 2%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 328 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 14°F | 1.1″ | 9.4″ | 162 hrs |
| Feb | 36°F | 18°F | 1.3″ | 10.2″ | 184 hrs |
| Mar | 50°F | 30°F | 2.2″ | 4.4″ | 208 hrs |
| Apr | 62°F | 41°F | 4.0″ | 1.2″ | 225 hrs |
| May | 73°F | 53°F | 5.2″ | 0.2″ | 268 hrs |
| Jun | 82°F | 63°F | 5.3″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Jul | 86°F | 67°F | 3.8″ | — | 338 hrs |
| Aug | 84°F | 65°F | 4.2″ | — | 306 hrs |
| Sep | 77°F | 56°F | 3.2″ | — | 266 hrs |
| Oct | 64°F | 43°F | 2.8″ | 0.5″ | 210 hrs |
| Nov | 49°F | 31°F | 1.9″ | 2.7″ | 175 hrs |
| Dec | 36°F | 20°F | 1.6″ | 7.9″ | 153 hrs |
Near West Des Moines
- Clive, IA · 19k
- Windsor Heights, IA · 5.2k
- Waukee, IA · 27k
- Urbandale, IA · 46k
- Norwalk, IA · 14k
- Grimes, IA · 16k
- Des Moines, IA · 212k
- Johnston, IA · 24k
Largest places in Iowa
- Cedar Rapids, IA · 137k
- Davenport, IA · 101k
- Sioux City, IA · 86k
- Iowa City, IA · 75k
- Ankeny, IA · 71k
- Waterloo, IA · 67k
- Ames, IA · 66k
- Council Bluffs, IA · 63k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology