Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a registered nurse make in Des Moines, IA?

In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area, registered nurses earned a median of $78,630 a year ($37.80 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 8,130 of these jobs there. That is 52% above the $51,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $64,680 and $100,500; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Iowa tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $61,810 in take-home pay.

Registered nurse pay in Des Moines, IA at a glance

Median salary

$78,630$37.80 per hour · $6,553 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$64,680$31.10/hr
25th percentile$70,070$33.69/hr
75th percentile$86,690$41.68/hr
90th percentile$100,500$48.32/hr
Jobs in this metro8,130Location quotient 0.93 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here52% aboveAll-jobs median $51,820
Against Iowaabout the same asStatewide median $78,630
Against the U.S.19% belowNational median $97,550

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Registered nurse salary in Des Moines, IA after taxes

$78,630
$30,000$160,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$78,630
Net 79%
Fed 11%
IA 3%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$61,810After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,151Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,377Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate21.4%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$8,469 / yr
Iowa state income tax$2,336 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$6,015 / yr

Registered nurses pay range in Des Moines, IA, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What registered nurses earned in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IA)
10th percentile$31.10/hr$5,390$64,680$52,344
25th percentile$33.69/hr$5,839$70,070$56,113
MedianMedian$37.80/hr$6,553$78,630$61,810
75th percentile$41.68/hr$7,224$86,690$67,174
90th percentile$48.32/hr$8,375$100,500$76,365

Is $78,630 a good salary in Des Moines, IA?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for registered nurses next to both.

Median household income$85,890Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)91.78.3% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household91.5%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Registered nurse pay in Des Moines, IA: common questions

What is the median salary for registered nurses in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

The BLS median annual wage for registered nurses in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area was $78,630 in May 2025, about $6,553 a month or $37.80 an hour. Statewide, the Iowa median for this job is $78,630, so the metro pays about the same as the state.

What is the hourly pay for registered nurses in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

The median hourly wage for registered nurses in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA was $37.80 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $31.10 an hour and one in ten earned more than $48.32.

How many registered nurses work in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

BLS estimated 8,130 jobs for registered nurses in the metro in May 2025, or 20.1 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.93 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for registered nurses in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

BLS wage estimates for registered nurses in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA run from $64,680 at the 10th percentile to $70,070 at the 25th, $86,690 at the 75th, and $100,500 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do registered nurses take home after taxes in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

On a median gross salary of $78,630, an estimated $61,810 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,377 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Iowa in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $16,820 (an effective rate of 21.4%).

How much do registered nurses make per month in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

On the median annual salary of $78,630, gross monthly income is $6,553. After federal, FICA, and Iowa state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,151 per month (or $2,377 every two weeks).

Is $78,630 a good salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

At $78,630, the median salary for registered nurses is 91.5% of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA median household income ($85,890). It is 52% above the $51,820 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 91.7, so prices here run 8.3% below the U.S. average.