AI Inventory Optimization Specialist.
Des Moines.
$155,000
median salary, 14% below the national average
$120,000 to $201,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
AI Inventory Optimization Specialist pay in Des Moines ranges from $120,000 to $201,000 in 2026. The median is $155,000, 14% below the national average. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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 Inventory Optimization Specialist 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 $83,410 for Operations Research Analysts (SOC 15-2031) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, based on 190 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$39,800
25th percentile
$61,590
Median
$83,410
75th percentile
$140,960
90th percentile
$140,960
Workers surveyed
190
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $155,000 is 86% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Operations Research Analysts covers a different population than the AI Inventory Optimization Specialist title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Operations Research Analysts (SOC 15-2031) rather than AI Inventory Optimization Specialist 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 15-2031Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$101,000
to $124,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$132,000
to $163,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$171,000
to $202,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$194,000
to $240,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $73,000 to the total package.
Base
$155,000
Equity
$45,000
Bonus
$19,000
Signing
$9,000
Estimated total: $228,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$155,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$180,000
Des Moines is $25,000 below
AI Inventory Optimization Specialist salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an AI Inventory Optimization Specialist offer in Des Moines, understand the terrain. 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 Inventory Optimization Specialist compensation is driven by certification depth, tooling expertise, and the criticality of the function to revenue or compliance. Equity is a major component at roughly 35% of base — candidates should weight stock grants as heavily as salary when comparing offers. Within finance and business operations, licensure (CFA, CPA, FP&A) and industry (tech, banking, consulting) shift the compensation band by 20–40%.
AI Inventory Optimization Specialists progress from entry to senior in 4 to 6 years, with lead and manager levels requiring 8+ years plus either deeper technical specialization or broader organizational scope. 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 Inventory Optimization Specialists runs roughly $279K at median when factoring base + equity (35% 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. In corporate finance and banking, bonus is a major component and can double the base in top-performing years (investment banking) or add 20–40% (corporate finance). 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 $155,000, 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 Inventory Optimization Specialists in Des Moines runs from $120,000 to $201,000. 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
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Common questions.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"AI Inventory Optimization Specialist Salary in Des Moines, IA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ai-inventory-optimization-specialist/des-moines
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