ZIP Code 50261 — West Des Moines city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 50261 covers West Des Moines, IA in Madison County with a population of about 3,105.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.3 (near the U.S. median).

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

West Des Moines, IA ranks among higher-income / higher-home-value communities on US5 (very high median household income (~$150,341)). Searchers often dig into housing affordability stretch, private schools, and neighborhood comparisons rather than entry-level rentals.

Median household income in ZIP 50261 is about $150,341 — about 100% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 1.5%; unemployment rate near 0.6%; 41.3% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 7.6 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Finance and insurance, Healthcare, and Retail trade; about 19.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 3.8 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 $318,600 — about 8% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $813 (about 30% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 84.5% (about 19.1 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 50261 in West Des Moines, IA, a household would need roughly $88,000 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 $2,047. That sits below the local median household income ($150,341), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. 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 34.8 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 178 for ZIP 50261 (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.