ZIP Code 50061 — West Des Moines city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 50061 covers West Des Moines, IA in Madison County with a population of about 2,327.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 46.3 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 515; U.S. House district IA-3; the DES MOINES - AMES media market.

Median household income in ZIP 50061 is about $130,250 — about 73% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 3.3%; unemployment rate near 3.3%; 46.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 13.1 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Construction, Finance and insurance, and Healthcare; about 29.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 14.2 points above the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $516,600 — about 48% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,063 (about 9% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 97.0% (about 31.6 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 50061 in West Des Moines, IA, a household would need roughly $142,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $3,319. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($130,250). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for West Des Moines city, IA as Very Low (composite score 35.5), which is relatively lower than many U.S. communities. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (59.9) and flood (36.6). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for West Des Moines city, IA show little to no average snow and around 36.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 133 for ZIP 50061 (West Des Moines city, IA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.