Best Online Healthcare Programs in West Des Moines, IA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

West Des Moines, Iowa has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs. West Des Moines has a population of about 69,893. Median household income is $84,925 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning healthcare-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $101,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Healthcare Schools to West Des Moines

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer healthcare programs near West Des Moines. Distances are calculated from West Des Moines city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from West Des Moines. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa healthcare page.

Healthcare Wages Near West Des Moines

West Des Moines is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager	$101,550	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$110,742
Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar	$86,790	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$94,646
Medical Records Specialist	$54,270	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$59,182
Medical Secretary or Administrative Assistant	$42,160	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$45,976
Healthcare Social Worker	$62,360	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$68,004
Epidemiologist	$83,650	Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	$91,221

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

West Des Moines at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	69,893	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$84,925	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	54.6%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	91.7 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Healthcare-related employment in Polk County	39,472 workers, 2,057 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other West Des Moines-Area Cities With Healthcare Programs

Urbandale, IA – 6.0 mi away (43,018 pop)
Des Moines, IA – 8.9 mi away (476,689 pop)
Johnston, IA – 9.7 mi away (21,114 pop)
Ankeny, IA – 15.2 mi away (58,627 pop)
Ames, IA – 33.6 mi away (67,841 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited healthcare schools are near West Des Moines, IA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering healthcare programs near West Des Moines. The closest is Des Moines University-Osteopathic Medical Center in West Des Moines, IA (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is UnityPoint Health-Des Moines School of Radiologic Technology (7.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying healthcare roles near West Des Moines?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying healthcare-related roles near West Des Moines are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($101,550), Health Information Technologist or Medical Registrar ($86,790), Epidemiologist ($83,650). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbandale instead of West Des Moines?

Urbandale, IA is 6.0 miles from West Des Moines and has its own set of local healthcare programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is West Des Moines an affordable place to study healthcare?

West Des Moines’s median household income of $84,925 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in West Des Moines while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Healthcare Programs

Other Programs Available in West Des Moines

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for West Des Moines:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Online Healthcare Programs in Iowa (2026)

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