Taxes in West Des Moines
West Des Moines' tax picture combines a genuinely below-median effective property tax rate with Iowa's real, statewide flat-tax structure.
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Learn moreA property tax rate below Iowa's own statewide median
West Des Moines' effective property tax rate ran approximately 1.53% -- modestly below Iowa's own statewide median (~1.55%), though the city's real four-county, six-school-district footprint produces nine distinct total tax rates, ranging from approximately 1.53% (ZIP 50265) to approximately 1.58% (ZIP 50061) in the cited examples reviewed this pass.
Iowa's real, current flat income tax
Iowa's individual income tax rate runs a flat 3.8% (2026) on all taxable income -- reached a year ahead of schedule via a real, multi-year phase-down from a former top graduated rate of 8.53%, per this project's verified Iowa statewide research context.
A real, current 7% combined sales tax
West Des Moines' combined sales tax runs 7% (Iowa's 6% state base plus the 1% local-option sales tax Polk County voters approved for West Des Moines in March 2019).
Key takeaways
- West Des Moines' effective property tax rate (~1.53%) runs modestly below Iowa's own statewide median.
- The city's real four-county, six-school-district footprint means the exact rate varies by address (~1.53%-1.58% in cited examples).
- Iowa's flat 3.8% income tax and West Des Moines' 7% combined sales tax apply as of 2026.
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