Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Secondary School Teacher Salary in Des Moines, IA
Education · SOC 25-2031 · COL Index 93.3
Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA earn a median salary of $62,480 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $47,870 to $82,100. The mean is $64,410 across approximately 2,660 workers. Adjusted for Des Moines, IA's cost-of-living index of 93.3, the median equates to $66,967 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Secondary School Teacher in Des Moines, IA pays below the national median: $62,480 locally versus $74,502. The discount usually reflects either lower cost-of-living, smaller local industry concentration, or weaker labor demand.
Cost-of-living in Des Moines, IA runs below the national baseline (index 93.3). The cost-adjusted purchasing power of $62,480 works out to roughly $66,967 in national-baseline dollars — often higher real income than in high-cost coastal cities at the same gross wage. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $53,714, $62,480, $72,290, $82,100. 2,660 Secondary School Teacher workers are documented in Des Moines, IA per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $47,870 | $51,308 |
| 25th Percentile | $53,714 | $57,571 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $62,480 | $66,967 |
| 75th Percentile | $72,290 | $77,481 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $82,100 | $87,996 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA is relatively tight (1.7×), suggesting pay is largely standardized — most workers earn within a fairly narrow band of the median $62,480. Roles with this distribution tend to have less negotiation leverage at the top end, but also less risk of underpayment at the bottom.
Des Moines, IA's cost-of-living index of 93.3 runs below the U.S. average, so a $62,480 salary here has the equivalent purchasing power of about $66,967 in an average-cost metro. Lower nominal pay in markets like this often translates to comparable or better real income than higher headline numbers in coastal hubs.
Des Moines, IA ranks #49 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Secondary School Teacher pay — in the lower half nationally (70th percentile). Lower nominal pay here is often offset by a lower cost of living; check the COL-adjusted figure on this page for an apples-to-apples comparison.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $72,290 for Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($82,100) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($53,714–$62,480) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($62,480–$72,290) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($72,290–$82,100).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Des Moines, IA percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 25-2031 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Secondary School Teacher salary in Des Moines, IA?
Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA earn a median salary of $62,480 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $64,410 across roughly 2,660 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA?
Pay ranges from $47,870 at the 10th percentile to $82,100 at the 90th percentile — a $34,230 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($53,714 to $72,290) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $62,480 a good Secondary School Teacher salary in Des Moines, IA?
$62,480 is the BLS median — half of Secondary School Teachers in Des Moines, IA earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($53,714), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($72,290). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $66,967.
How does Secondary School Teacher pay in Des Moines, IA compare to other metros?
Des Moines, IA ranks #49 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Secondary School Teacher median pay. Nominal pay is in the lower half of U.S. metros, though the cost of living usually offsets at least part of that gap.
Where does this Secondary School Teacher salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Des Moines, IA MSA, SOC 25-2031, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 2,660 Secondary School Teachers tracked in Des Moines, IA.