Located near the center of Iowa, the City of Des Moines is the political, economic, and cultural capital of the state.  The city is a center of insurance, government, medical, printing, finance, publishing, and retail/wholesale trade, as well as industry, providing a diverse economic base.  With a population of 456,000 metropolitan Des Moines provides the advantages of a big city with the atmosphere of a small town.  Business activity in downtown Des Moines continues to grow.

The 65,000 + people working downtown make the area one of the highest per capita downtown concentrations in the nation.

Demographics:

        Land area of City of Des Moines: 78.1 square miles
        Land area of Des Moines MSA:  2,301 square miles

        Des Moines MSA person per capita income (1999): $31,118
        State of Iowa per capita income (1999): $25,598

        Population of City of Des Moines (2000): 198,682
        Population of 9 metro counties (2000): 684,822

Economic Base:

        Labor Force: 256,700
        Employed: 251,700
        Unemployed: 5,100
        Unemployment rate: 2.0 percent
        (Source: Iowa Workforce Development)

Trade Area:

800,000 + people live within a one hour drive of Des Moines.

Major Industries:

Major industries include financial services, insurance, government, manufacturing, trade and service.

Skywalks

Des Moines is the City of Skywalks.  The Corridor snakes through the central business district, connecting almost all of the major employers.  There are currently 38 blocks connected by over 3.2 miles of skywalks.  The climate-controlled environment is a popular choice for navigating the downtown.  Retail and service establishments have responded and are clustered along the corridors.

Iowa's roots may be in agriculture, but the economy has evolved and diversified over the past 100 years.  Iowa companies are leaders in information technology, life sciences, insurance/financial services and manufacturing.

Information Technology:

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer was the world's first electronic digital computer.  It was built by John Vincent Atanasoff and Clifford Berry at Iowa State University during 1937-42.  This information technology tradition is continued at more than 1300 Iowa companies.  Pick a company in any number of technology area-computer, engineering, education, research, finance, manufacturing, insurance, agribusiness, customer service, printing-and you will find new products and applications being developed.

Life Sciences:

No longer is agricultural research focused exclusively on the production of hybrid grain varieties.  Today's research is leading to improved industrial products, better food supply, improved medicines and a cleaner environment.  Iowa's universities and development centers have made more than $2 billion in technology investments in the state.

Insurance/Financial Services:

Des Moines is one of the largest insurance centers in the United States.  Almost 40,000 Iowans are employed by the insurance industry and the sector has seen employment growth for over 20 years.  Major insurance companies located in Des Moines, include Allied Insurance (a member of Nationwide), Principal Financial Group, Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Iowa and State Farm Insurance Company.

Manufacturing:

Products manufactured in Iowa are sold around the country and around the world.  In 1999, the manufacturing sector employed over 260,000 people.  During the 1990's Iowa's manufacturing exports increased 59%.  Products manufactured in Iowa but know around the country include Pella windows and Rockwell Collins avionics equipment.

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Major Employers in the Des Moines Metro Area