Elevation of Des Moines
872ft
above sea level · 266 m
Des Moines is the capital of Iowa and its most populous city, with 212,086 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 16th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 41.60° N · 93.61° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 41° 36′ 2″ N · 93° 36′ 33″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 15T · 449,241 E · 4,605,606 N
- Zone 15 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 212,086 people
- 88.2 sq mi of land · 2,406 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from April 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Des Moines had 212,086 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 0.9% fewer than in April 2020, when it had 214,032. Its 88.2 sq mi of land work out to 2,406 people/sq mi; the state average is 58 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 1,026 places the Census counts in Iowa (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 6.5% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Polk County (211,882) and Warren County (204). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Polk County.
Compared with other state capitals
Des Moines sits at 872 ft (266 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Des Moines is 226 ft below it.
The highest point in Iowa is Hawkeye Point, at 1,670 ft according to the USGS: 798 ft above Des Moines, 167 mi away in a straight line.
- 16 Des Moines 872 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Des Moines.
What is the elevation of Des Moines?
Des Moines is 872 feet (266 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Des Moines?
Latitude 41.60055 and longitude -93.60911, in decimal degrees (41° 36′ 2″ N · 93° 36′ 33″ W). In UTM, zone 15: 449,241 E and 4,605,606 N, on NAD83.
How does Des Moines rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 16th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Des Moines in?
Several: Polk County and Warren County. Most of its people live in Polk County.
Which is higher, Des Moines or Omaha?
Omaha. Des Moines sits at 872 ft and Omaha at 1,056 ft: a difference of 184 ft, 123 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know