| ZIP Codes: | 76 ZIP Codes (33 Standard, 15 PO Box, 28 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 515 |
| Timezone: | Central (GMT -06:00) |
| Local Time: | 11:13:07 PM |
| Population: | 546,696 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 19153 |
| CBSA: | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA |
| Land Area: | 543 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 15 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 41.6179, -93.6256 |
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546,696 residents live across 76 ZIPs covering 543 sq mi, served by 18 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 467,002 to 546,696 from 2014 to 2024 — a +17.1% change. 24 ZIPs gained residents, 7 lost (and 1 held flat).
The county's wealthiest ZIP 50323 (Urbandale, $175,944 median) and poorest ZIP 50314 (Des Moines, $39,950) are 10.6 miles apart — a 4.4× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 3.3× across this county — from $147,900 in 50314 (Des Moines) to $486,800 in 50323 (Urbandale).
Density varies 131× across the county — from 44 people/sq mi in 50073 (Elkhart) to 5,716 in 50311 (Des Moines).
Educational attainment ranges from 14.5% bachelor's+ in 50316 (Des Moines) to 63.0% in 50323 (Urbandale) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within Iowa, this is the #1 most populous of 99 counties and ranks #3 for median household income with the #3 fastest decade growth .
Hosts 4 single-entity Unique ZIPs: 50392Principal Financial ; 50391Allied Group ; 50332Wells Fargo Mortgage ; and 50331Wells Fargo Mortgage .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $91,768 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
41.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (152,653 of 364,891 reporting). The most-educated ZIPs cluster around Des Moines.
33 Standard delivery, 15 PO Box only, 28 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
4 ZIPs in this county where more than 60% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor's degree — typically college campuses, research enclaves, or tech corridors.
28 ZIP codes in this county serve a single facility — typically theme parks, universities, large corporations, airports, or government complexes.
Median household income spans 4.4× between the wealthiest and poorest ZIPs — a sign of significant intra-county inequality.
Polk County grew 17.1% over the past decade — concentrated in 5 high-growth ZIPs:
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50023 | Ankeny | Standard | 46,306 | $117,826 | 21.7 | 54.9% |
| 50266 | West Des Moines | Standard | 37,523 | $87,025 | 25.3 | 51.7% |
| 50317 | Des Moines | Standard | 36,548 | $65,617 | 22.0 | 1.7% |
| 50315 | Des Moines | Standard | 34,816 | $60,590 | 10.5 | -4.0% |
| 50265 | West Des Moines | Standard | 33,488 | $85,915 | 19.2 | 1.4% |
| 50322 | Urbandale | Standard | 31,931 | $92,085 | 11.0 | 1.4% |
| 50310 | Des Moines | Standard | 31,177 | $76,381 | 8.4 | 2.2% |
| 50021 | Ankeny | Standard | 30,283 | $99,572 | 24.9 | 29.2% |
| 50320 | Des Moines | Standard | 24,807 | $85,105 | 16.1 | 17.5% |
| 50131 | Johnston | Standard | 24,583 | $106,551 | 26.9 | 29.2% |
| 50009 | Altoona | Standard | 22,886 | $88,447 | 27.5 | 34.0% |
| 50325 | Clive | Standard | 19,012 | $132,121 | 7.7 | 17.4% |
| 50313 | Des Moines | Standard | 17,440 | $68,361 | 18.8 | -0.5% |
| 50323 | Urbandale | Standard | 17,265 | $175,944 | 8.9 | 51.4% |
| 50111 | Grimes | Standard | 16,865 | $120,769 | 22.7 | 57.9% |
| 50316 | Des Moines | Standard | 16,710 | $56,090 | 3.6 | -2.1% |
| 50312 | Des Moines | Standard | 15,802 | $92,242 | 5.8 | 4.4% |
| 50311 | Des Moines | Standard | 14,574 | $61,957 | 2.5 | -4.4% |
| 50327 | Pleasant Hill | Standard | 13,177 | $98,333 | 17.7 | 22.8% |
| 50314 | Des Moines | Standard | 10,438 | $39,950 | 2.6 | -11.3% |
| 50035 | Bondurant | Standard | 10,131 | $134,906 | 46.2 | 79.7% |
| 50309 | Des Moines | Standard | 10,110 | $56,777 | 2.8 | 79.8% |
| 50321 | Des Moines | Standard | 7,900 | $80,351 | 12.6 | -5.5% |
| 50226 | Polk City | Standard | 7,759 | $153,011 | 42.2 | 44.5% |
| 50324 | Windsor Heights | Standard | 5,143 | $91,707 | 1.4 | 5.5% |
| 50169 | Mitchellville | Standard | 3,667 | $83,938 | 44.3 | 7.8% |
| 50237 | Runnells | Standard | 3,635 | $101,806 | 54.9 | 10.5% |
| 50073 | Elkhart | Standard | 1,208 | $100,972 | 27.7 | 13.0% |
| 50032 | Berwick | PO Box | 707 | — | 0.4 | 164.8% |
| 50007 | Alleman | Standard | 444 | $120,417 | 5.3 | -34.8% |
| 50243 | Sheldahl | PO Box | 361 | $80,938 | 0.8 | 95.1% |
| 50319 | Des Moines | Standard | 0 | — | 0.3 | — |
| 50304 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50303 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50305 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50301 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50302 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50318 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50332 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50306 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50308 | Des Moines | Standard | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50331 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50329 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50330 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50363 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50980 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50369 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50380 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50368 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50307 | Des Moines | Standard | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50334 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50335 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50936 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50982 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50398 | Urbandale | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50360 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50981 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50367 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50381 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50394 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50362 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50396 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50361 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50364 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50947 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50359 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50333 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50340 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50983 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50339 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50336 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50328 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50395 | Des Moines | Standard | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50391 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50393 | Des Moines | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 50392 | Des Moines | Unique | — | — | 0.0 | — |