Iowa to Minnesota

Distance from Des Moines to Rochester

Straight-line distance

178.2mi

Des Moines, IA and Rochester, MN are 178.2 miles (286.8 km) apart in a straight line. From Des Moines, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (18°).

kilometers
286.8
nautical miles
154.8
heading from Des Moines
18° NNE
heading from Rochester
199° SSW
Des MoinesRochester

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

How far Des Moines is from Rochester

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Des Moines and Rochester is 178.2 miles, 286.8 km or 154.8 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 178.2 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
178.2
Kilometers
286.8
Nautical miles
154.8
Bearing from Des Moines
18.4° NNE
Bearing arriving at Rochester
19.2°
Bearing from Rochester
199.2° SSW

Halfway between Des Moines and Rochester

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.794842, -93.055563 (42°47'41.43"N 93°03'20.03"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Hampton, IA, with 4,340 residents, 8.4 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 Rochester 15 h 29 min; on December 21, 9 h 10 min and 8 h 53 min. Rochester is 2.44° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Des Moines has 1.7 times the population of Rochester. From July 2020 to July 2024, Des Moines changed by -0.3% and Rochester by +1.7%. The trip crosses from Iowa into Minnesota.

  1. 01Des Moines, IA213,096 (-0.3%)
  2. 02Rochester, MN123,624 (+1.7%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Des Moines from Rochester?

178.2 miles, 286.8 km or 154.8 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Rochester from Des Moines?

NNE. The great-circle path leaves Des Moines on a bearing of 18.4° and arrives at Rochester on 19.2°. The return trip starts on 199.2°.

What is halfway between Des Moines and Rochester?

The midpoint is at 42.794842, -93.055563. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Hampton, IA, 8.4 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Des Moines and Rochester?

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

Which is bigger, Des Moines or Rochester?

Des Moines, with 213,096 residents in July 2024 against 123,624 for Rochester, 1.7 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.