| | Chicago, IL | West Des Moines, IA | United States |
| Population | 2,742,119 | 67,640 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 51.2% | 49.7% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 48.8% | 50.3% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 35.1 | 36.1 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 2,697,480 | 56,863 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 2,896,016 | 46,403 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 2,783,726 | 31,702 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | -7.5% | 48.8% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | -3.8% | 117.8% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 12,060.3 | 1,436.3 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 227.4 | 47.1 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 6.8 | 1.0 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Chicago, IL | West Des Moines, IA | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.9% | 6.6% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.4% | 6.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 5.8% | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.6% | 1.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 6.0% | 6.1% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 19.8% | 18.6% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 14.3% | 13.8% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 11.9% | 12.1% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.8% | 6.3% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.4% | 5.3% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 7.6% | 8.0% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 3.6% | 4.2% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.6% | 1.7% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Chicago, IL | West Des Moines, IA | United States |
| White | 33.1% | 80.2% | 59.4% |
| Black | 28.8% | 3.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 6.8% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 2.2% | 4.4% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 28.7% | 4.9% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Chicago, IL | West Des Moines, IA | United States |
| Married Population | 37.8% | 49.9% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 35.5% | 48.9% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.3% | 1.0% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 62.2% | 50.1% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 48.9% | 33.4% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 8.3% | 11.5% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.0% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.41 | 2.19 | 2.60 |
| Households | 1,112,581 | 30,775 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 574,825 | 16,647 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 27.1% | 37.9% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 34.8% | 40.1% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 537,756 | 14,128 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 21.0% | 12.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 17.1% | 9.6% | 10.8% |