Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · CBSA 19780
Software Engineer Salary in Des Moines
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Iowa and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Des Moines earn a median of $124,630 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $99,410–$135,360; the top 10% earn $170,040. That is 6% below the national median and 13% above the Iowa median. BLS reports 4,750 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$124,630
-6% vs national
Top 10% earn
$170,040
90th percentile
Employed in metro
4,750
Reliability High (4.4% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Des Moines vs Iowa vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $74,560 | -7% |
| 25th percentile | $99,410 | -4% |
| Median50th percentile | $124,630 | -6% |
| 75th percentile | $135,360 | -20% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $170,040 | -20% |
| Meanaverage | $119,860 | -17% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Des Moines
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.09
Jobs per 1,000
11.72
Metro rank (pay)
#99 of 381
All engineering roles
$114,366
Des Moines employs software engineers at close to the national rate (location quotient 1.09).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Des Moines?
Does Des Moines pay more than the rest of Iowa?
Where does Des Moines rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →