Average Salaries in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Explore salaries across 518 occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $64.0K, +4.0% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 518 occupations and 396,290 total jobs in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
How the metro compares
Wages in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA track close to the national average. Pay for most occupations here is similar to what workers earn nationally.
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is a mid-sized metro labor market.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Nurse Anesthetists. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Nurse Anesthetists | $233.0K | 150 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | $222.7K | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $213.6K | 1,080 |
| Dentists, General | $201.5K | 220 |
| Real Estate Brokers | $157.1K | 330 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $147.2K | 1,910 |
| Financial Managers | $143.6K | 4,090 |
| Commercial Pilots | $141.3K | 150 |
| Managers, All Other | $139.5K | 1,350 |
| Human Resources Managers | $137.4K | 570 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | 11,210 | $48.2K |
| Retail Salespersons | 10,060 | $31.4K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 9,590 | $29.0K |
| Cashiers | 9,420 | $29.8K |
| General And Operations Managers | 9,080 | $93.8K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 8,580 | $58.9K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 7,900 | $44.5K |
| Registered Nurses | 7,800 | $79.0K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 6,880 | $37.3K |
| Office Clerks, General | 6,530 | $44.4K |
What Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Technicians | 13.96 | $39.3K |
| Actuaries | 6.94 | $131.5K |
| Statistical Assistants | 6.52 | $82.0K |
| Soil And Plant Scientists | 5.45 | $86.1K |
| Criminal Justice And Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.73 | $52.5K |
| Food Scientists And Technologists | 4.44 | $63.5K |
| Food Science Technicians | 4.20 | $45.8K |
| Telemarketers | 4.00 | $31.2K |
| Correspondence Clerks | 3.53 | N/A |
| Insurance Underwriters | 3.52 | $81.3K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
Common salary questions for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.