West Des Moines, IA
71,083 people · 1,497 per sq mi · 47.5 sq mi
Measured at the center point marked on the map, with the data a report uses. A report for an address adds the flood zone, elevation, nearby schools, noise sources, your commute, and what to verify.
Facts
Natural hazard risk
Relatively Lowoverall, census tract at the city center
- Tornado
- Relatively High
- Strong wind
- Relatively High
- Heat wave
- Relatively Moderate
- Hail
- Relatively Moderate
- Winter weather
- Relatively Moderate
- Inland (river and rain) flooding
- Relatively Low
- Wildfire
- Relatively Low
- Hurricane
- Very Low
- Earthquake
- Very Low
- Landslide
- Very Low
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Storms and earthquakes
- Tornado tracks within 9 mi17 since 2000 · strongest EF4 · latest July 2024
- 38
- Tropical storm tracks within 50 mi
- 0
- Recorded earthquakes within 31 mi
- 0
NOAA Storm Prediction Center, NOAA IBTrACS, USGS
Reported crime
No FBI figures for a West Des Moines police department. A report matches the nearest reporting agency instead.
Typical rent
No HUD Fair Market Rent loaded for this county.
Outdoor air
GoodEPA Air Quality Index range
- Fine particles (PM2.5), annual average2022 · higher than 16% of US tracts · EPA standard 9.0
- 6.7 µg/m³
- Ozone, average daily 8-hour peak2022
- 38 ppb
EPA Downscaler model via CDC, census tract at the city center. Annual averages, so a typical day rather than the worst one.
Disasters, Superfund, radon
- Federal disaster declarations for the county, last 20 yearsmostly severe storm (7), biological (2), flood (1) · latest Severe Storms And Flooding, September 2026
- 11
- Superfund sites within 10 mi
- 3
- EPA radon zone for the countyhighest potential
- Zone 1
OpenFEMA, EPA National Priorities List, EPA radon zones
Sources
- US Census Bureau American Community Survey and Gazetteer Files · December 2024
- FEMA National Risk Index · December 2025
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center · December 2025
- NOAA NCEI IBTrACS v04r01 · October 2026
- USGS ComCat · October 2026
- US EPA (SEMS via FRS)
- OpenFEMA · October 2026
- US EPA Map of Radon Zones
- CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network · December 2022
- HUD USER
- FBI Crime Data Explorer · December 2025
Public data only, with no overall score, no demographic data, and no grade of the community. See the methodology. Informational, not professional, legal, insurance, or inspection advice.