Iowa to Nebraska

Distance from Des Moines to Lincoln

Straight-line distance

167.8mi

Des Moines, IA and Lincoln, NE are 167.8 miles (270.1 km) apart in a straight line. From Des Moines, the shortest path starts out heading WSW (253°).

kilometers
270.1
nautical miles
145.8
heading from Des Moines
253° WSW
heading from Lincoln
71° ENE
Des MoinesLincoln

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

How far Des Moines is from Lincoln

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Des Moines and Lincoln is 167.8 miles, 270.1 km or 145.8 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 167.8 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
167.8
Kilometers
270.1
Nautical miles
145.8
Bearing from Des Moines
252.7° WSW
Bearing arriving at Lincoln
250.7°
Bearing from Lincoln
70.7° ENE

Halfway between Des Moines and Lincoln

The great-circle midpoint is at 41.201606, -95.151473 (41°12'5.78"N 95°09'5.30"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Red Oak, IA, with 5,420 residents, 13.5 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 Lincoln 15 h 06 min; on December 21, 9 h 10 min and 9 h 15 min. Des Moines is 0.76° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Lincoln has 1.4 times the population of Des Moines. From July 2020 to July 2024, Des Moines changed by -0.3% and Lincoln by +3.0%. The trip crosses from Iowa into Nebraska.

  1. 01Des Moines, IA213,096 (-0.3%)
  2. 02Lincoln, NE300,619 (+3.0%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Des Moines from Lincoln?

167.8 miles, 270.1 km or 145.8 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Lincoln from Des Moines?

WSW. The great-circle path leaves Des Moines on a bearing of 252.7° and arrives at Lincoln on 250.7°. The return trip starts on 70.7°.

What is halfway between Des Moines and Lincoln?

The midpoint is at 41.201606, -95.151473. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Red Oak, IA, 13.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Des Moines and Lincoln?

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

Which is bigger, Des Moines or Lincoln?

Lincoln, with 300,619 residents in July 2024 against 213,096 for Des Moines, 1.4 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.