Real Estate Agent.
Des Moines.
$51,000
median salary, 15% below the national average
$34,000 to $78,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Real Estate Agent salary in Des Moines is $51,000, 15% below the national average. Entry level starts near $34,000. Experienced professionals push past $78,000. 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 Real Estate Agent in Des Moines, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. BLS does not publish this occupation for this metro area, so the national published benchmark is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $52,830 for Real Estate Sales Agents (SOC 41-9022) across the United States, based on 193,370 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$32,970
25th percentile
$40,040
Median
$52,830
75th percentile
$82,020
90th percentile
$123,590
Workers surveyed
193,370
What BLS published in each release
May 2024 release
$56,320
May 2025 release
$52,830
These are two separate published estimates, not a time series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not encourage the use of OEWS data for time-series analysis. Differences between releases reflect changes in occupational classification, survey methodology, and the three-year pooled sample as well as any change in pay, so the two figures should not be read as a rate of wage growth.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Real Estate Sales Agents (SOC 41-9022) rather than Real Estate Agent specifically. The national 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 41-9022Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $46,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$33,000
to $41,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$43,000
to $54,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$56,000
to $66,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$64,000
to $79,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $13,000 to the total package.
Base
$51,000
Equity
$7,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $64,000
How Des Moines compares.
Des Moines, IA
$51,000
Cost of living: 14% below average
National Average
$60,000
Des Moines is $9,000 below
Real Estate Agent salary by city.
Salary by role in Des Moines.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Real Estate Agent 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. Market location and personal transaction volume create enormous salary variance. Agents in high-value markets like San Francisco, New York, or Miami earn substantially more per deal. Top-producing agents closing 20 or more transactions annually can earn multiples of the median, while part-time agents may earn below minimum wage.
New agents typically earn $25,000 to $45,000 in their first year. Established agents with a referral network earn $60,000 to $100,000. Top producers consistently earn $120,000 to $250,000. Team leaders and broker-owners can exceed $300,000, though with significant business overhead. 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. Most agents are independent contractors earning 100% commission with no base salary. The listed figures reflect typical gross commission income. Agents pay their own health insurance, self-employment taxes, MLS fees, marketing costs, and brokerage splits of 20 to 50%. 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 $51,000, 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 Real Estate Agents in Des Moines runs from $34,000 to $78,000. 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
Common questions.
Real Estate Agent salary in other cities.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Real Estate Agent Salary in Des Moines, IA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/real-estate-agent/des-moines
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