50265 ZIP Code — West Des Moines, IA

Polk County, Iowa

ZIP code 50265 is located in West Des Moines, Iowa, within Polk County. It covers approximately 19.30 square miles and serves a population of 33,222 residents. This is a po box ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 515.

About ZIP code 50265

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the 1980s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $241,800. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 66%.

The gap between median ($81,579) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 17 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is high — 47% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, well above the national average of 33%.

33,222
population
19.30
sq mi land
PO Box
ZIP type
Central (CT)
timezone
50265 ZIP code map
Cities in ZIP code 50265

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 50265. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City Status
West Des Moines Acceptable
West Des Moines Acceptable
Demographics updated 06/2026
Population
Total population 33,222
Population density 1,721 / sq mi
State FIPS 19
County FIPS 153
Geography
Land area 19.30 sq mi
Water area 0.76 sq mi
Latitude 41.5597
Longitude -93.7380
Timezone Central (CT)
Area code 515
Total population by age
Gender
Race & ethnicity
Economics updated 06/2026
Household income
Income range This ZIP County avg State avg
Under $50k 34.8% 34.3% 40.1%
$50k – $100k 31.2% 32.7% 33.4%
$100k – $200k 26.2% 25.7% 21.5%
Over $200k 7.7% 7.3% 5.0%

Demographics & statistics

33,222
Population
1,721
People per sq mi
37.9
Median age
$81,579
Median household income
$50,745
Per capita income
$241,800
Median home value
$1,013
Median monthly rent
65.7%
Home ownership
8.2%
Poverty rate
2.5%
Unemployment
10,243
Housing units
47.2%
Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female
907
Under 5
967
1,059
5–9
1,130
1,106
10–14
1,179
836
15–19
891
1,099
20–24
1,171
2,325
25–34
2,478
2,179
35–44
2,322
1,989
45–54
2,120
1,036
55–59
1,104
1,015
60–64
1,082
1,502
65–74
1,601
810
75–84
863
218
85+
233
← Male
Female →

Age summary

GroupCount%
Under 187,65323.0%
18 and over25,56977.0%
65 and over5,22715.7%
Median age37.9 years

Race & ethnicity

White 77.5%
Two or more races 6.2%
Black or African American 5.3%
Asian 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Other race 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
GroupCount%
White26,78177.5%
Two or more races2,1456.2%
Black or African American1,8175.3%
Asian1,7855.2%
Hispanic or Latino1,3443.9%
Other race6581.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander250.1%

Household income

Income range This ZIP County avg State avg
Under $50k 34.8% 34.3% 40.1%
$50k – $100k 31.2% 32.7% 33.4%
$100k – $200k 26.2% 25.7% 21.5%
Over $200k 7.7% 7.3% 5.0%
Under $10k 2.5%
$10k–$15k 2.5%
$15k–$25k 5.0%
$25k–$35k 9.1%
$35k–$50k 11.6%
$50k–$75k 15.8%
$75k–$100k 12.3%
$100k–$150k 19.0%
$150k–$200k 10.6%
$200k+ 11.6%
Range% of households
Under $10k2.5%
$10k–$15k2.5%
$15k–$25k5.0%
$25k–$35k9.1%
$35k–$50k11.6%
$50k–$75k15.8%
$75k–$100k12.3%
$100k–$150k19.0%
$150k–$200k10.6%
$200k+11.6%
Median income$81,579

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 4.0%
$50k–$100k 2.5%
$100k–$150k 5.5%
$150k–$200k 19.1%
$200k–$300k 39.8%
$300k–$500k 20.8%
$500k–$1M 6.9%
$1M+ 1.4%

Housing overview

MetricValue
Median home value$241,800
Median rent / month$1,013
Owner occupied65.7%
Renter occupied34.3%
Vacant4.7%
Single-family detached58.2%
Large apartment buildings14.4%
Mobile homes1.8%
Median rooms5.5
Avg household size (owned)2.42

Year built

Era%
2020 or later0.4%
2010–20192.8%
2000–200910.0%
1990–199920.3%
1980–198921.1%
1970–197916.8%
1960–19697.7%
1950–195912.3%
1940–19493.0%
1939 or earlier5.6%

Bedrooms

Size% of units
No bedroom (studio)1.6%
1 bedroom7.3%
2 bedrooms37.6%
3 bedrooms29.9%
4 bedrooms20.4%
5+ bedrooms3.3%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles% of households
No vehicle2.6%
1 vehicle39.4%
2 vehicles42.4%
3 or more15.6%

Heating fuel

Fuel type%
Utility gas64.7%
Electricity33.6%
Propane / LP gas1.1%
Wood0.1%
No fuel used0.2%

Households & families

Household typeCount%
Married-couple family6,42844.3%
Cohabiting couple9906.8%
Male householder, no spouse2,82719.5%
Female householder, no spouse4,26029.4%
Households with children under 184,20229.0%
Households with seniors (65+)3,78826.1%
Average household size2.28

Marital status

StatusMaleFemale
Never married35.8%29.7%
Married53.0%46.2%
Separated1.2%1.5%
Widowed2.1%7.5%
Divorced7.9%15.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 2.1%
Some HS, no diploma 2.9%
HS graduate 19.8%
Some college, no degree 18.7%
Associate's degree 9.3%
Bachelor's degree 32.2%
Graduate / professional 15.1%
Metric%
HS diploma or higher95.0%
Bachelor's or higher47.2%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

TypeCount%
Nursery / preschool4505.7%
Kindergarten2993.8%
Elementary school3,73547.1%
High school1,78422.5%
College / grad school1,66120.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 20.8%
Finance & real estate 19.1%
Professional & management 12.5%
Retail trade 10.9%
Arts, food & hospitality 8.5%
Manufacturing 6.4%
Transportation & utilities 5.8%
Other services 4.9%
Construction 4.3%
Information 2.6%
Public administration 2.3%
Wholesale trade 1.2%
Agriculture & mining 0.6%

Occupation

Category%
Management, business & arts49.3%
Service14.8%
Sales & office20.5%
Natural resources & construction5.0%
Production & transportation10.3%

Employment type

Type%
Private sector85.9%
Government10.5%
Self-employed3.5%
Unpaid family workers0.0%

Commute

Method%
Drive alone77.5%
Carpool8.0%
Public transit0.4%
Walk0.6%
Work from home12.1%
Other means1.5%
Avg commute (minutes)17.2

Poverty

All people 8.2%
Under 18 years 10.6%
18 and over 7.5%
Married-couple families 6.2%
Female-led households 12.7%

Income support

Source% of households
Social Security24.9%
Retirement income23.2%
Supplemental Security3.0%
Cash public assistance2.1%
Food stamps / SNAP8.7%

Health indicators

Condition%
Obesity32.3%
High blood pressure25.9%
High cholesterol30.0%
Diabetes7.5%
Heart disease4.7%
Stroke2.1%
Asthma8.5%
Arthritis19.2%
Kidney disease2.2%
Pulmonary disease4.4%
Cancer5.9%
Behavior / access%
Smoking13.6%
Binge drinking24.5%
No physical activity17.5%
Less than 7 hrs sleep27.0%
Depression17.5%
Fair or poor health9.8%
Poor mental health12.9%
Poor physical health7.1%
No health insurance7.9%
Visited doctor (checkup)74.4%
Visited dentist73.3%
Cholesterol screening88.7%
Teeth loss8.7%

Veterans & disability

VeteransCount%
Civilian veterans1,6356.4%
Disability%
Any disability9.9%
Under 182.3%
18–64 years7.7%
65 and over30.2%

Health insurance coverage

Type%
Private insurance77.2%
Public insurance31.3%
No insurance4.6%
Uninsured under 191.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

LanguageCount%
English only31,34894.4%
Spanish1,8355.9%
Other Indo-European7382.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander2850.9%
Other languages3521.1%

Place of birth & citizenship

OriginCount%
Native born (US)29,81989.8%
Born in same state29,36488.4%
Born in different state20,55361.9%
Foreign born4551.4%
Naturalized citizen3,40310.2%
Not a US citizen1,79552.7%

Ancestry

AncestryCount%
Italian4,94914.9%
French4,27012.9%
Polish1,5994.8%
Arab1,4834.5%
English9062.7%
AncestryCount%
Dutch6211.9%
German500.2%
Irish180.1%
Norwegian150%

Technology access

Metric% of households
Computer access43.7%
Internet access97.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 50265

What city is ZIP code 50265 in?

ZIP code 50265 is primarily assigned to West Des Moines, Iowa.

What county is ZIP code 50265 in?

ZIP code 50265 falls within Polk County, Iowa.

How educated is the population of ZIP code 50265?

47% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher — well above the national average of ~33%, reflecting a highly educated population.

What is the population of ZIP code 50265?

ZIP code 50265 has an estimated population of 33,222 residents, with a density of 1,722 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 50265?

The median household income in ZIP code 50265 is $81,579, above the national median of ~$75,000.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 50265?

The median home value in ZIP code 50265 is $241,800.

What timezone is ZIP code 50265 in?

ZIP code 50265 observes the CST timezone.

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