Accountant salary in Des Moines, IA

Based on 31 certified H-1B filings in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes West Des Moines, Grimes.

Also listed as: Auditor, Tax Accountant

Median salary$78,000
Middle 50%$75k–$88.2k
vs. national median−18%comparison median $94,973
Filings31FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $55,203 and $120,600.
PercentileSalary
10th$65,000
25th$75,000
50th (median)$78,000
75th$88,250
90th$100,205

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $70k $90k FY2020: median $64,900 (19 filings) FY2022: median $75,000 (18 filings) FY2023: median $62,800 (13 filings) FY2024: median $61,000 (12 filings) FY2025: median $75,000 (17 filings) FY2026: median $80,300 (14 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 19 filings FY20 FY2021: 7 filings FY21 FY2022: 18 filings FY22 FY2023: 13 filings FY23 FY2024: 12 filings FY24 FY2025: 17 filings FY25 FY2026: 14 filings FY26 19
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$64,900$51,000$94,64619
FY2021–––7
FY2022$75,000$67,573$93,79818
FY2023$62,800$56,000$110,00013
FY2024$61,000$52,192$71,02812
FY2025$75,000$75,000$78,52017
FY2026$80,300$78,000$93,89914

Cost of living

Des Moines's median Accountant salary of $78,000 is worth about $85,100 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Des Moines = 91.7).

Compared with all workers here

All Accountants and Auditors in the Des Moines, IA area earned a median of $79,290 in May 2025 (4,850 employed). The H-1B median here is $78,000, 2% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
EY$78,00021
Deloittetoo few7
Federal Home Loan Bank Of Des Moinestoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $75,000 11
Mid-level · Level II $76,500 14
Senior · Level III too few 2
Expert · Level IV too few 4

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$55,203$75,00011
Mid-level · Level II$69,514$76,50014

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.