Iowa to Missouri

Distance from Des Moines to Kansas City

Straight-line distance

176.2mi

Des Moines, IA and Kansas City, MO are 176.2 miles (283.6 km) apart in a straight line. From Des Moines, the shortest path starts out heading SSW (197°).

kilometers
283.6
nautical miles
153.1
heading from Des Moines
197° SSW
heading from Kansas City
16° NNE
Des MoinesKansas City

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Des Moines is from Kansas City

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Des Moines and Kansas City is 176.2 miles, 283.6 km or 153.1 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 176.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
176.2
Kilometers
283.6
Nautical miles
153.1
Bearing from Des Moines
196.6° SSW
Bearing arriving at Kansas City
196.0°
Bearing from Kansas City
16.0° NNE

Halfway between Des Moines and Kansas City

The great-circle midpoint is at 40.349851, -94.088780 (40°20'59.46"N 94°05'19.61"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Bethany, MO, with 2,912 residents, 6.5 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Des Moines gets 15 h 12 min of daylight and Kansas City 14 h 55 min; on December 21, 9 h 10 min and 9 h 25 min. Des Moines is 2.45° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Kansas City has 2.4 times the population of Des Moines. From July 2020 to July 2024, Des Moines changed by -0.3% and Kansas City by +1.6%. The trip crosses from Iowa into Missouri.

  1. 01Des Moines, IA213,096 (-0.3%)
  2. 02Kansas City, MO516,032 (+1.6%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Des Moines from Kansas City?

176.2 miles, 283.6 km or 153.1 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Kansas City from Des Moines?

SSW. The great-circle path leaves Des Moines on a bearing of 196.6° and arrives at Kansas City on 196.0°. The return trip starts on 16.0°.

What is halfway between Des Moines and Kansas City?

The midpoint is at 40.349851, -94.088780. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Bethany, MO, 6.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Des Moines and Kansas City?

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Des Moines or Kansas City?

Kansas City, with 516,032 residents in July 2024 against 213,096 for Des Moines, 2.4 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.