DES MOINES is now under coverage.
Local dating, modeled. Every signal in Des Moines, converted into a tactical roadmap.
Greater Des Moines is open as a field office. The headline numbers, each sourced and confidence-flagged:
- $1,025 per month Zumper Rent Research, June 2026
- $47,349 per year Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
- 54% Census ACS 5-yr, 2019–2023
By the numbers
11 sourced, confidence-flagged metrics for Des Moines — gender, money, neighborhoods, and political lean. The deep dive, with charts, is in the console below.
- Singles, 22 to 50
121,293
- Gender balance
54%
- Male skew
54%
- Median income
$47,349
- 1-bedroom rent
$1,025
- Living wage
$47,154
- Transit fare
$2
- Rent trend
$1,025
- Most female-leaning zone
46%
- No-party independents
32%
- Democratic
37%
The shape of the market
Johnston is the most female-leaning zone, at about 46% men to 54% women.
Des Moines runs about 54% male, sharpest in East Des Moines (59%) and West Des Moines (58%).
How dating actually happens
Only about 14% of matches on curated apps like Hinge turn into a first date.
Roughly 1 in 10 partnered adults met their partner online, and the share climbs sharply for younger and LGB couples.
One in four matches never gets a reply.
53% of online daters say their overall experience has been positive.
Dating safety in Des Moines
78% of active dating-app users report burnout: 80% of women (driven by message volume) and 74% of men (driven by a lack of responses).
60% of Americans support requiring a background check before someone can create a dating profile.
An estimated 26% of men have received unsolicited explicit content, far below the rate for women.
56% of women under 50 have been sent unsolicited explicit images while dating online.
48% of online daters have faced at least one form of harassing behavior on a dating platform.
43% of women under 50 say a match kept contacting them after they said no.
52% of online daters say a scammer or bot has contacted them.
63% of men under 50 say a scammer or bot has contacted them, the highest of any group.
11% of women under 50 have been physically threatened on a dating platform.
40% of daters say platforms do a bad job removing fake and bot accounts; only 20% say they do well.
The LGBTQ+ landscape
53% of LGB adults have used a dating app, far more than straight adults.
About 24% of LGB couples met online, roughly three times the straight rate.
About 70% of LGB adults under 30 have used a dating app, the highest-adoption cohort anywhere.
7.6% of U.S. adults now identify as LGBTQ+, up from 3.5% in 2012.
22.3% of adults aged 18 to 34 identify as LGBTQ+.
Political alignment
24% of Americans say they could never date someone who disagrees with them on abortion.
Iowa registers voters by party, and Polk County (Des Moines) is Democratic-plurality, about 37% to 30% Republican, a blue island in a red-trending state.
Nearly a third register No Party, an independent bloc that edges out Republicans and keeps Des Moines genuinely competitive.
47% of single daters would not seriously date a Trump voter; among Democratic women that rises to 79%.
69% of Americans would not date someone who is unemployed, rising to 81% of women.
The cost of dating
A single adult in Polk County needs about $47,200 a year just to cover the basics.
Des Moines’ one-bedroom rents have held roughly flat to modestly up year over year, cheap for a metro of its size.
Americans reported $1.3 billion in romance-scam losses in a single year, a tax on every crowded market.
A DART bus fare in Des Moines is $1.75 one way.
Neighborhood intelligence
| Neighborhood | Singles | M / F | Income | 1BR rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Des Moines | 7,211 | 51 / 49 | $39,679 | $1,001 |
| Ankeny | 6,737 | 51 / 49 | $57,824 | $1,240 |
| Downtown | 6,354 | 52 / 48 | $51,594 | $1,223 |
| West Des Moines | 6,252 | 58 / 42 | $50,081 | $1,106 |
| Beaverdale | 5,966 | 55 / 45 | $43,864 | $1,113 |
| East Des Moines | 5,762 | 59 / 41 | $35,289 | $1,102 |
| Urbandale | 4,924 | 58 / 42 | $48,630 | $1,186 |
| Drake | 4,374 | 54 / 46 | $33,633 | $1,029 |
| Sherman Hill | 3,113 | 56 / 44 | $52,403 | $1,074 |
| Johnston | 2,626 | 46 / 54 | $56,831 | $1,338 |
Local date spots
Real venues across Des Moines, scraped from Google Maps and filterable by neighborhood. Ratings and review counts are live Google data — never paid placement.
- Urbandale
Machine Shed Restaurant
- South Des Moines
Buzzard Billy’s
- East Des Moines
The Iowa Taproom
- Downtown
Hessen Haus
- Drake
Drake Diner
- South Des Moines
Mullets Restaurant Des Moines
- East Des Moines
El Bait Shop
- South Des Moines
Bubba
- South Des Moines
Angry Goldfish Pub & Eatery
- Downtown
Smokey Row Coffee
- Downtown
Centro
- West Des Moines
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
- Sherman Hill
Eatery A
- Ankeny
Main Street Cafe & Bakery (Ankeny)
- Downtown
The Royal Mile
- West Des Moines
Waterfront Seafood Market
- Ankeny
Whiskey River Ankeny
- Downtown
The High Life Lounge
- Johnston
EL MARIACHI
- East Des Moines
The Breakfast Club
- Sherman Hill
Lua Brewing
- Urbandale
The Urban Grill
- Johnston
Cozy Café Johnston
- West Des Moines
Mi Patria Ecuadorian Restaurant
- Downtown
801 Chophouse
- Sherman Hill
Lachele's Fine Foods
- South Des Moines
Francies
- Downtown
Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
- Sherman Hill
The Station On Ingersoll
- West Des Moines
El Toreado Restaurant Bar & Grill | Mexican