Billboard Advertising in Des Moines, IA

Billboard advertising in Des Moines starts at $1,000 per 4-week period. Static poster billboards (medium format) average $1,250 per 4-week period ($1,000–$1,500). Static bulletin billboards (large format, 14'×48') average $4,000 per 4 weeks ($3,500–$4,500). Digital bulletin billboards (LED, large format) average $4,000 per 4 weeks ($3,500–$4,500). A $5,000 minimum spend applies and may be spread across multiple boards and flight periods. Premium locations — including high-visibility I-235 downtown Des Moines corridor positions, Iowa State Fair approach positions on E. Grand Avenue and US-69 (late August), and Iowa State University game-day approach positions on US-30 and US-169 (September–November) — may be priced above these ranges depending on availability and season.

Billboard advertising in Des Moines has CPMs starting at $6 per 4-week period. Static poster billboards (medium billboards) average $10 CPM ($8–$12) per 4-week period. Static bulletin billboards (large billboards, 14'×48') average $22 CPM ($19–$25). Digital bulletin billboards average $12 CPM ($10–$13). Digital poster billboards average $7 CPM ($6–$8). CPMs are calculated using the average 4-week impressions (age 18+) for each format across all 1,092 billboard faces in the Des Moines DMA. The DMA’s large geographic footprint spanning a significant rural Iowa territory results in a broad mix of high-traffic urban corridor boards and lower-traffic rural highway boards reflected in the average impressions per format.

A static bulletin in Des Moines delivers an average of 183,107 impressions (age 18+) over a 4-week campaign period. A digital bulletin delivers an average of 355,414 impressions over the same period. Commuters on major corridors like I-235, I-80/35, and US-69 typically pass the same billboard multiple times per week, making billboards one of the highest-frequency media formats available. Across all 1,092 billboard faces in the Des Moines DMA, the market delivers approximately 174,374,936 total impressions per 4-week period.

The highest-density billboard corridors in the Des Moines DMA are Iowa Highway 163 (MLK Parkway) (42 faces), Iowa Highway 5 / SE Connector (4 faces), Iowa Highway 141 (4 faces), US Route 20 (4 faces), and US Route 169 (4 faces). The Des Moines market spans a compact urban core in Polk County and an extensive rural corridor network reaching Story, Dallas, Warren, and Jasper counties. Urban and suburban inventory concentrates along the southeast and northwest suburban growth belts, while rural highway coverage extends the market’s reach across the broader central Iowa agricultural region. Additional coverage on Interstate 35/80, Interstate 235, US Route 69, Iowa Highway 28, and US Route 30.

The Des Moines DMA contains 1,092 billboard faces tracked by Blue Line Media across Polk County, Story County, Dallas County, Warren County, Jasper County, Madison County, Guthrie County, and surrounding counties in central Iowa. Of these, 50 are digital (LED) and 1,042 are static (printed/mesh), spanning bulletin and poster formats. Billboard coverage reaches 5+ counties in the DMA, with the highest concentrations in Polk County serving Des Moines and surrounding communities, and rural county coverage spanning the broader central Iowa region.

Des Moines billboard inventory includes static bulletins (large format, 14'×48'), digital bulletins (LED, large format), static posters (medium format) and digital posters. Of the 1,092 faces in the Des Moines DMA, 50 are digital (LED) and 1,042 are static (printed/mesh). 50% of inventory is in urban and urban business locations, 0% suburban, and 50% rural.

The strongest billboard period in the Des Moines DMA runs late August through November, driven by the Iowa State Fair (late August), Iowa State Cyclones football home games (September–November), and Drake University Relays (April). The Iowa caucuses, held quadrennially in January and February, generate a concentrated surge in political and issue-advertising billboard demand across the market. Year-round demand is sustained by Des Moines’ insurance and financial services industry cluster, which drives consistent professional audience traffic across the metro. The winter off-peak window (December–February) is the best time to negotiate rates and secure preferred positions. A 2–3 week lead time is standard for most campaigns. Peak late summer and fall positions tend to book ahead of that window.

Getting started with billboard advertising in Des Moines is straightforward:

1. Get a quote — Tell Blue Line Media your target area, budget, and campaign dates.
2. Choose your billboard — Blue Line Media recommends available billboard locations matching your audience and flight.
3. Provide creative or use our free design service.
4. Go live — Boards are posted and your campaign runs for your contracted flight period.

Billboard sizes in Des Moines follow industry-standard dimensions. Static bulletin billboards (large format) measure 14 feet high by 48 feet wide (14'×48'). Static poster billboards (medium format) measure 10.5 feet high by 22.75 feet wide (10.5'×22.75'). Digital bulletin billboards and digital poster billboards share the same dimensions as their static counterparts.

As soon as possible, because advertising is sold on a first come, first served basis. Availability changes daily as campaigns book and end.

Creative Due Dates:

• Static (Print): 2–3 weeks prior to ad start date. May be reduced in certain cases.
• Digital: 3 business days prior to ad start date.

Yes. Blue Line Media can filter available billboard inventory in the Des Moines DMA by corridor, zip code, or neighborhood, allowing advertisers to target specific communities such as West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee, Ames, or Indianola. Campaigns can concentrate on a single zone or span multiple neighborhoods across the Greater Des Moines metro.

Among the most-viewed billboard corridors in the Des Moines DMA are Iowa Highway 163 / MLK Parkway — southeast Des Moines metro to Newton (42 faces), Iowa Highway 5 / SE Connector — south Des Moines, Warren County (4 faces), Iowa Highway 141 — northwest Des Moines, Grimes, Waukee (4 faces), US Route 20 — northern DMA, Ames to Fort Dodge (4 faces), and US Route 169 — Des Moines to Ames corridor (4 faces). Blue Line Media can recommend specific billboard positions on these and other corridors based on current availability.