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Polk County, IA — Chiropractors Saturation

How many chiropractors exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 37 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Chiropractic offices · Chiropractic clinics. Counted together because official statistics use one 621310 code.

Measured density: High density — 2.03× the U.S. rate (between 2.03× and 2.49× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 22 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 16 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

High density   Polk County chiropractors — 203–249% of the U.S. rate

140 chiropractors are counted in Polk County — 2.0 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 203% of the U.S. rate of 1.0.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has risen 17% between 2015 and 2023 (112 → 131). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 50325 (Clive), 50324 (Windsor Heights), 50111 (Grimes) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 50317 (Des Moines), 50312 (Des Moines), 50265 (West Des Moines).

Census County Business Patterns (2023) puts the county-wide count at 145 establishments, including locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA — so it can run slightly above the sum of the ZIP rows on this page. It is annual, so it lags more than QCEW.

Measured density: Polk County sits at 203% of the U.S. rate for chiropractors. 16 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 203% and 249% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 50325 and 50324; the lowest measured density is in 50317 and 50312.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing chiropractors and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Chiropractors
140–184
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (22 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
2.0
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
1.0
per 10,000 present
County index
2.03×
vs. U.S.
Latest year (CBP)
145
2023 — $19M annual payroll
Residents
546,696
31 ZIPs with data
Workers
305,833
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
516,185
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+4.7%
+23,146 people
Net migration 2024
+6,200
international +4,984, domestic +1,216
Jobs located here
309,202
LODES 2022, +0.6% since 2019

Polk County had an estimated 516,185 residents on July 1, 2024 — 4.7% more than in 2020 (+23,146). In the latest year it gained 8,698 people: births minus deaths +2,462, international migration +4,984, domestic migration +1,216. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

309,202 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+0.6% since 2019), and 243,300 employed residents lived there (−0.8% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
50266 West Des Moines
+26.6%
50309 Des Moines
+25.7%
50035 Bondurant
+21.5%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change

No ZIP had a statistically significant decrease.

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses
56
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$3.1M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$56K
gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more chiropractors in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — up 17% since 2015

Number of chiropractors in Polk County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

112
2015
128
2018
125
2020
132
2021
127
2022
131
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
50325 Clive
691%
50324 Windsor Heights
512%
50111 Grimes
427%
50322 Urbandale
380%
50327 Pleasant Hill
343%
50266 West Des Moines
331%
50023 Ankeny
314%
50009 Altoona
297%
50021 Ankeny
296%
50131 Johnston
284%
50035 Bondurant
273%
50265 West Des Moines
254%
50312 Des Moines
165%
50317 Des Moines
72%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
50317 Des Moines
72%
50312 Des Moines
165%
50265 West Des Moines
254%
50035 Bondurant
273%
50131 Johnston
284%
50021 Ankeny
296%
50009 Altoona
297%
50023 Ankeny
314%
50266 West Des Moines
331%
50327 Pleasant Hill
343%
50322 Urbandale
380%
50111 Grimes
427%
50324 Windsor Heights
512%
50325 Clive
691%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few chiropractors may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersChiropractorsIndex
50309Des Moines Employment hub 10,11038,489 5 173%
50321Des Moines Employment hub 7,90017,023 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = chiropractors per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersChiropractors Per 10kIndexStatus
50325Clive 19,01211,862 17 6.8 691% Very high density
50324Windsor Heights 5,1431,605 3 5.0 512% Very high density
50111Grimes 16,8659,001 9 4.2 427% Very high density
50322Urbandale 31,93121,599 16 3.7 380% Very high density
50327Pleasant Hill 13,1773,248 5 3.4 343% Very high density
50266West Des Moines 37,52353,512 21 3.3 331% Very high density
50023Ankeny 46,30610,645 16 3.1 314% Very high density
50009Altoona 22,8868,958 8 2.9 297% Very high density
50021Ankeny 30,28321,766 12 2.9 296% Very high density
50131Johnston 24,58315,205 9 2.8 284% Very high density
50035Bondurant 10,1312,050 3 2.7 273% Very high density
50265West Des Moines 33,48812,795 10 2.5 254% Very high density
50309Des Moines 10,11038,489 5 1.7 173% High density
50312Des Moines 15,8025,190 3 1.6 165% High density
50317Des Moines 36,54810,851 3 0.7 72% Below average
50007Alleman 44420 0–2 — — Not published
50032Berwick 70712 0–2 — — Not published
50073Elkhart 1,208285 0–2 — — Not published
50169Mitchellville 3,667225 0–2 — — Not published
50226Polk City 7,759936 0–2 — — Not published
50237Runnells 3,635144 0–2 — — Not published
50243Sheldahl 36119 0–2 — — Not published
50301Des Moines —838 0–2 — — Not published
50303Des Moines —366 0–2 — — Not published
50305Des Moines —25 0–2 — — Not published
50310Des Moines 31,1776,771 0–2 — — Not published
50311Des Moines 14,5745,349 0–2 — — Not published
50313Des Moines 17,44015,545 0–2 — — Not published
50314Des Moines 10,43810,773 0–2 — — Not published
50315Des Moines 34,8165,284 0–2 — — Not published
50316Des Moines 16,7107,741 0–2 — — Not published
50319Des Moines 0127 0–2 — — Not published
50320Des Moines 24,8073,534 0–2 — — Not published
50321Des Moines 7,90017,023 0–2 — — Not published
50323Urbandale 17,2655,396 0–2 — — Not published
50392Des Moines —15,700 0–2 — — Not published
50398Urbandale —848 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in West Des Moines

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse West Des Moines retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse West Des Moines retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse West Des Moines retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Polk County and chiropractors

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 621310 — offices of chiropractors. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. This industry has no clean QCEW series, so the freshest county signal is Census County Business Patterns 2023: 145 establishments and $19M in annual payroll county-wide. This count includes locations in ZIP codes that do not map to a ZCTA, so it can be slightly higher than the sum of the ZIP rows. CBP is annual and slower than QCEW. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (0.99 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.