AI Analyst.
Des Moines.
$100,000
median salary, 12% below the national average
$69,000 to $143,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median AI Analyst salary in Des Moines is $100,000, 12% below the national average. Entry level starts near $69,000. Experienced professionals push past $143,000. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for AI Analyst in Des Moines, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $103,030 for Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, based on 1,240 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$65,480
25th percentile
$80,360
Median
$103,030
75th percentile
$133,460
90th percentile
$150,190
Workers surveyed
1,240
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) rather than AI Analyst specifically. The Des Moines range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-2051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $90,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$65,000
to $80,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$85,000
to $105,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$110,000
to $130,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$125,000
to $155,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $46,000 to the total package.
Base
$100,000
Equity
$28,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$6,000
Estimated total: $146,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$100,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$113,000
Des Moines is $13,000 below
AI Analyst salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for AI Analyst roles in Des Moines, here is what you are walking into. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. The metro's extremely low cost of living and strong job market make it one of the best value cities for finance professionals. Tech employment is growing as insurtech companies expand. AI Analyst compensation is driven by domain specialization, SQL and statistical depth, and the financial or operational impact of insights delivered. Equity is a major component at roughly 25% of base — candidates should weight stock grants as heavily as salary when comparing offers. Within tech-sector AI Analysts specifically, employer tier (FAANG and frontier-AI labs vs mid-stage startups vs traditional enterprise) drives 66%+ variance across the compensation band.
AI Analysts at tech companies progress Analyst → Senior Analyst → Staff Analyst or Analytics Manager over 6 to 10 years. Data Scientist and Data Engineering are common lateral moves at the senior level for those wanting deeper technical work. In Des Moines, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 14% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation for AI Analysts runs roughly $159K at median when factoring base + equity (25% of base annually) + bonus (15% of base). Equity is the single largest non-base component — candidates should model vesting schedules (typically 4-year with 1-year cliff) and compare grant values across offers carefully. At tech companies specifically, equity and sign-on are often the largest delta between offers — two roles with matching base can differ by $100K+ at total when equity is included. And on the tax side: iowa has a flat 3.8% state income tax. Des Moines has no city income tax. The low tax rate and affordable housing create strong purchasing power. When someone quotes you $100,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Benchmark against national insurance industry pay scales. Des Moines insurance employers must compete with remote offers from larger metros and will often match. The range for AI Analysts in Des Moines runs from $69,000 to $143,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Data Scientist in Des Moines earns $99,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Des Moines is CTO at $263,000
- See all ai engineering roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"AI Analyst Salary in Des Moines, IA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ai-analyst/des-moines
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