The Waukee Brief
This one's a keeper. We pulled the public record on the fastest-growing city in Iowa and put it all in one place. Bookmark it, forward it - here's Waukee, by the numbers.
Waukee is the largest city in Dallas County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the entire United States. The 2024 Special Census counted 31,823 residents, up from 23,940 in the 2020 census.
Waukee's median home sale price has recently run in the high $300,000s to around $400,000, above many metro medians, reflecting how much of the city is brand-new construction. That is offset by high local household incomes. Because Waukee sits in Dallas County, home sales and assessments are recorded through the Dallas County offices in Adel, not Polk County.
So much of Waukee has been built in the last 20 years that the housing stock skews new, and new construction pulls the median up. A lot of recorded land transactions are multi-lot bulk sales to builders, so a single record is not always a single house. For the full breakdown, see our cost of living guide.
The Waukee Community School District is among the fastest-growing districts in Iowa, and it is unusual in running two comprehensive high schools: Waukee High School (the Warriors) and Waukee Northwest High School (the Wolves), which opened in 2021 when the district split into two feeders. Between middle school and high school, Waukee students also attend separate ninth-grade schools. Full detail in our schools guide.
For Fiscal Year 2027, the City of Waukee's property-tax levy is $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Worth knowing: the city levy is only one slice of your total bill - Dallas County, the Waukee Community School District, and other taxing bodies levy the rest. Rates and assessments change year to year, so check the Dallas County Assessor for the current figures. Details in our property taxes guide.
Waukee's sales tax rate is 7 percent: Iowa's 6 percent state sales tax plus a 1 percent local option sales tax (LOST). More on what the extra penny funds in our sales tax guide.
Waukee's signature outdoor asset is the Raccoon River Valley Trail, a long paved rail-trail that runs through the area and links a string of Dallas County towns. In town, Triumph Park is the city's major sports and recreation complex, and the Kettlestone district weaves trails through its mix of homes, shops, and offices. See the full rundown in our outdoors guide and trails guide.
Kettlestone is Waukee's big master-planned district on the south and west side of town, built around walkability and a mix of retail, offices, apartments, and single-family homes. Its "Main Street" core is being built out with shops, restaurants, and housing - a from-scratch downtown for a city that grew up around a rail depot.
Waukee was laid out as a town in 1869 along the Des Moines Valley Railroad and incorporated in 1878. Its biggest early chapter was underground: the Shuler Mine, opened in 1921, was the largest coal producer in Iowa and had the deepest mine shaft in the state at 387 feet, with an immigrant coal-camp community around it before it closed in 1949. The whole story, from the rail stop that was almost named "Shirley" to the modern boom, is in our history of Waukee.
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For the current calendar of festivals, markets, and community events, see our Waukee events guide and the things to do roundup. Heading into Des Moines? Our Waukee to Des Moines guide covers the commute from the west edge of the metro.
One date to circle for the year: the Iowa General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with polls open 7am-8pm. Because Waukee is in Dallas County, check or update your voter registration through the Dallas County Auditor rather than Polk County. We'll run a plain-English guide closer to November.
That's your town, by the numbers. If a friend would like this, forward it - that's how this thing grows. See you next week. ●
Waukee's 2024 Special Census counted 31,823 residents, up from 23,940 in the 2020 census, an increase of roughly a third in about four years. That makes Waukee the largest city in Dallas County and one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa.
Waukee is consistently ranked among the fastest-growing cities in Iowa and is the largest city in Dallas County, which has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. It grew from about 5,126 people in 2000 to 31,823 in the 2024 Special Census.
Waukee is in Dallas County, Iowa, on the western edge of the Des Moines metro. That is different from most metro suburbs, which sit in Polk County, so Waukee's assessor, recorder, and many county services run through Dallas County in Adel.
For Fiscal Year 2027, the City of Waukee's property-tax levy is $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. The city levy is only one part of the total bill; Dallas County, the Waukee Community School District, and other taxing bodies levy the rest.
Waukee has two comprehensive high schools: Waukee High School (the Warriors) and Waukee Northwest High School (the Wolves), which opened in 2021 when the district split into two feeders. The Waukee Community School District enrolls roughly 13,600 students.