Des Moines Metro Area Counties

6 counties · 758,539 people (2025) · 3,613 sq mi

The Des Moines metro area (officially the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area) has 6 counties in Iowa, with 758,539 people in 2025. Polk County is the most populous.

Map of the 6 counties of the Des Moines metro area with county names and major cities
The 6 counties of the Des Moines metro area (yellow) with the largest cities. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).
PDF (Letter) 142 KBPNG (2400 px) 75 KB

The 6 counties of the Des Moines metro area

Sorted by population. 2 are central counties (the urban core); the others are outlying counties tied to it by commuting.

CountyCounty seatPopulation 2025Change since 2020Land area (sq mi)Type
Polk CountyDes Moines516,546+4.9%573Central
Dallas CountyAdel118,457+18.8%588Central
Warren CountyIndianola57,331+9.4%570Outlying
Jasper CountyNewton38,153+0.9%730Outlying
Madison CountyWinterset17,270+4.4%561Outlying
Guthrie CountyGuthrie Center10,782+1.5%591Outlying

The metro area is part of the larger Des Moines-West Des Moines-Ames, IA Combined Statistical Area.

Printable map

The PDF is a vector file for Letter paper; the PNG is 2400 pixels wide. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.

County maps of Iowa

Other metro areas

All 97 metro area county maps

Sources