Generative AI Developer.
Des Moines.
$116,000
median salary, 13% below the national average
$86,000 to $151,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Generative AI Developer offer in Des Moines, IA, here is the reality: $86,000 to $151,000, with $116,000 as the midpoint. 13% below the national average. Proficiency with foundation model APIs, prompt engineering at scale, and building user facing generative applications drives pay. Do not accept the first number. 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 Generative AI Developer 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 $126,460 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, based on 4,240 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$79,170
25th percentile
$101,550
Median
$126,460
75th percentile
$140,390
90th percentile
$168,180
Workers surveyed
4,240
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than Generative AI Developer 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 15-1252Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $105,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$75,000
to $93,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$99,000
to $122,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$128,000
to $151,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$145,000
to $180,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $48,000 to the total package.
Base
$116,000
Equity
$29,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$7,000
Estimated total: $164,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$116,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$133,000
Des Moines is $17,000 below
Generative AI Developer salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
Here is what the Generative AI Developer market actually looks like in Des Moines. 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. Proficiency with foundation model APIs, prompt engineering at scale, and building user facing generative applications drives pay. Developers who understand retrieval augmented generation, vector databases, and content safety filtering are especially valued. Experience shipping production generative AI features with measurable user engagement adds significant salary premiums.
Junior generative AI developers start at $115,000 to $145,000. Mid level developers with shipped products earn $160,000 to $200,000. Senior developers reach $200,000 to $260,000. Staff engineers specializing in generative AI at leading companies can exceed $350,000 in total compensation. 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. Equity at AI startups can add 20 to 40% of total compensation. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $20,000 to $60,000 are common at well funded companies. Benefits often include API credits, hackathon time, and continuing education allowances. 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 $116,000, 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 Generative AI Developers in Des Moines runs from $86,000 to $151,000. 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?
- An AI Agent Architect in Des Moines earns $117,000 (1% more)
- 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.
"Generative AI Developer Salary in Des Moines, IA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/generative-ai-developer/des-moines
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