Iowa to Minnesota

Distance from Des Moines to St. Paul

Straight-line distance

234.7mi

Des Moines, IA and St. Paul, MN are 234.7 miles (377.7 km) apart in a straight line. From Des Moines, the shortest path starts out heading N (6°).

kilometers
377.7
nautical miles
203.9
heading from Des Moines
6° N
heading from St. Paul
186° S
Des MoinesSt. Paul

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

How far Des Moines is from St. Paul

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Des Moines and St. Paul is 234.7 miles, 377.7 km or 203.9 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 234.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
234.7
Kilometers
377.7
Nautical miles
203.9
Bearing from Des Moines
6.1° N
Bearing arriving at St. Paul
6.4°
Bearing from St. Paul
186.4° S

Halfway between Des Moines and St. Paul

The great-circle midpoint is at 43.261029, -93.364168 (43°15'39.70"N 93°21'51.01"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Manly, IA, with 1,233 residents, 8.5 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 St. Paul 15 h 37 min; on December 21, 9 h 10 min and 8 h 46 min. St. Paul is 3.38° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

St. Paul has 1.4 times the population of Des Moines. From July 2020 to July 2024, Des Moines changed by -0.3% and St. Paul by -1.2%. The trip crosses from Iowa into Minnesota.

  1. 01Des Moines, IA213,096 (-0.3%)
  2. 02St. Paul, MN307,465 (-1.2%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Des Moines from St. Paul?

234.7 miles, 377.7 km or 203.9 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is St. Paul from Des Moines?

N. The great-circle path leaves Des Moines on a bearing of 6.1° and arrives at St. Paul on 6.4°. The return trip starts on 186.4°.

What is halfway between Des Moines and St. Paul?

The midpoint is at 43.261029, -93.364168. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Manly, IA, 8.5 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Des Moines and St. Paul?

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

Which is bigger, Des Moines or St. Paul?

St. Paul, with 307,465 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.