Graphic Designers salary in Des Moines, IA

Median pay for graphic designers in Des Moines, IA: $45,740/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $36,360 – $68,800 · about 860 employed locally

Below the typical metro median ($50,005) by −$4,265 (-9%).

What it's really worth in Des Moines

With Des Moines's cost of living at 93 (US=100), that $45,740 has the buying power of about $49,314 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $81,103 · median home $296,070 · median rent $1,293/mo.

Full Des Moines cost of living & taxes →

How Des Moines ranks for this job

On raw pay, Des Moines, IA is 158th of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Des Moines's cost of living is applied, it ranks 151st.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Des Moines sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Des Moines

A median home in Des Moines, IA costs $296,070 — about 6.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,293/mo works out at 34% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Des Moines.

Metro	Median pay	vs Des Moines	Rent vs Des Moines
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+110%	2.8×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+102%	2.5×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+75%	1.9×
New York, NY	$75,900	+66%	2.7×

Same job elsewhere in IA

Metro	Median pay	vs Des Moines	Rent vs Des Moines
Cedar Rapids, IA	$48,860	+7%	1×
Davenport, IA	$47,890	+5%	0.8×

Staying in IA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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