Funeral services · Metro area · Iowa
Funeral homes in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for funeral homes in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #238 of 377 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 68
- 11 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $35.5M
- On funerals · $120 a household
- Spending per listing
- $522K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.3
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the funeral homes around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
The site report maps the funeral homes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 68 funeral homes in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 2.3, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.1.
Households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area spend about $35.5M a year on funerals, or $120 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That works out to $522K per home, 23% below the U.S. figure of $679K.
In 2023, official counts showed 32 businesses with payroll in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area classed as funeral homes and funeral services, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 9,213 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area grew 6.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for funeral homes, ranking #238 of 377 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all funerals by the funeral homes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 2.3 | 3.9 | 2.1 |
| Spending per listing | $522K | $373K | $679K |
| Households per official establishment | 9,213 | 4,073 | 8,510 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −4.7% | −1.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on funerals | $120 | $144 | $143 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 320.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 289
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as funeral homes and funeral services in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 758,539+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 294,814
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 202
- Median household income
- $85,890+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,632
- Median home value
- $267,400
- Jobs located here
- 392,636
- Daytime population
- 765,807Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the funeral homes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFuneral homes across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for funeral homes, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 51 | 70 | 1.8 | $668K | +4.2% | #167 of 377 |
| 1Cedar Rapids, IA | 46 | 24 | 2.1 | $671K | +1.0% | #201 of 377 |
| 2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 42 | 68 | 2.3 | $522K | +6.7% | #238 of 377 |
| 3Iowa City, IA | 37 | 14 | 1.9 | $595K | +4.1% | #267 of 377 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 37 | 12 | 2.9 | $527K | +0.1% | #270 of 377 |
| 5Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 34 | 41 | 2.5 | $568K | −0.9% | #284 of 377 |
| 6Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 28 | 13 | 2.3 | $552K | +1.0% | #320 of 377 |
| 7Ames, IA | 23 | 13 | 2.6 | $466K | +2.2% | #345 of 377 |
| 8Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 23 | 21 | 3.0 | $463K | +0.5% | #346 of 377 |
Other business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
- Funeral homes42
Questions
How many funeral homes are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
There are 68 funeral homes on map listings in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area as of September 2026. 11 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count funeral homes, mortuaries and cremation services. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on funerals?
About $35.5M a year, or $120 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 funeral homes on map listings, it comes to $522K per home. It is estimated from the incomes of the 294,814 households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for funeral homes?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 2.3 funeral homes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 2.1. Spending per home is $522K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $679K. At the national ratio of funeral homes to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 52, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,213 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against −1.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area at 758,539 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 294,814 households. Median household income in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is $85,890, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.5%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 42 for funeral homes (lower middle), #238 of 377 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. It maps the funeral homes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for funeral homes · All 56 business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.