Real estate · Metro area · Iowa
Real estate businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses 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 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #228 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 1,037
- 58 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 749
- +17.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.4B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $14,953 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 98
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.2
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
The site report maps the real estate businesses 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
Households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area spend about $4.4B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $14,953 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 2% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
There are 1,037 real estate businesses on map listings in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 6% of them, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 35.2, 9% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area was 749 in 2023, up 17.0% from 2019. That is one for every 394 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts list 2,895 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area grew 6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is 46 (lower middle), #228 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 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. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.2 | 24.9 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 98 | 130 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 394 | 648 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.0% | +13.9% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $14,953 | $14,016 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 749+17.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,586
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $190.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,895Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,03758 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,018The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors 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 real estate businesses 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 cardReal estate across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for real estate businesses, 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 | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 56 | 354 | 21.9 | 146 | −0.9% | #124 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 55 | 203 | 28.1 | 118 | +4.1% | #133 of 387 |
| 3Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 54 | 161 | 23.2 | 136 | +0.5% | #141 of 387 |
| 4Cedar Rapids, IA | 51 | 292 | 25.6 | 129 | +1.0% | #174 of 387 |
| 5Dubuque, IA | 48 | 105 | 25.6 | 127 | +0.1% | #195 of 387 |
| 6Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 47 | 158 | 28.5 | 112 | +1.0% | #210 of 387 |
| 7Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 46 | 1,037 | 35.2 | 98 | +6.7% | #228 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 45 | 1,292 | 33.1 | 103 | +4.2% | #237 of 387 |
| 8Ames, IA | 39 | 145 | 29.1 | 111 | +2.2% | #287 of 387 |
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
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,037 real estate businesses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 58 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 749 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 17.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 2,895 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $4.4B a year, or $14,953 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 1,037 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 2% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. 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 real estate businesses?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 35.2 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 98, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 1,018, against 1,037 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 394 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% 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 46 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #228 of 387 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 real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses · 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.