Executive Assistant salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Pay in Des Moines-West Des Moines against Iowa and the US

The middle half of executive assistants in Des Moines-West Des Moines earns $54,980–$77,180. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $89,120, only 1.8 times the bottom tenth, against 2.2 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $22,200 wide, between the figure for Iowa ($19,940) and the US figure ($33,000).

What to budget for an executive assistant here

An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $12,190 a year in pay and about $15,729 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $10,010 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.

For scale, the US median of $76,590 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Des Moines-West Des Moines, and the Iowa statewide median of $62,340 falls between the 25th percentile and the median.

What a hire really costs in Des Moines-West Des Moines

Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry², which adds about $18,868 to the $64,990 median and brings it to $83,858 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

Our open executive assistant roles pay $800–$1,100 a month under a direct contract. The one-time fee is $2,500³ with a 180-day replacement; paying through Deel adds $49 a month⁴. Change any number below to match your plan.

A local hire here costs about 5.8 times as much as a remote hire in year one at the midpoint of our range. From year two, when the fee drops out, it is 7.0 times the remote figure of $11,988. About the candidates: most apply through our assessment platform with a written and a spoken English task; each profile shows the English level (B1–C2); Silkstaff interviews every shortlisted candidate live, in English, before you meet them.

Other roles in Des Moines-West Des Moines

Of the 17 roles we track in Des Moines-West Des Moines, this one ranks #7 by median pay, between sales development representatives ($65,510) and paralegals ($60,080). Project Coordinator is the highest at $101,150.

Measured against the US median, this job is the lowest paid of the 17 roles we track in Des Moines-West Des Moines (-15.1%); customer support specialists come first (+9.2%). The typical role here is at -1.1%, so, measured against the US, executive assistants cost less in Des Moines-West Des Moines than the area's general pay level would suggest. Executive assistants hold 3.8% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Des Moines-West Des Moines, 3.0% across Iowa and 2.9% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Iowa

Across the 12 areas of Iowa with data for this job, the median runs from $52,730 in the Southwest Iowa nonmetro area to $64,990 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, a gap of $12,260 a year. No other area in Iowa has as many executive assistants, and all 11 others pay less.

Des Moines-West Des Moines against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, Des Moines-West Des Moines is #46 of 506 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job, with pay near the middle of the US range. Outside Iowa, Flint and Orlando-Kissimmee pay just above Des Moines-West Des Moines and Lafayette-West Lafayette and Sherman-Denison just below. All four are within $100 a year of the median in Des Moines-West Des Moines. Of the three markets with about as many executive assistants, all three pay more.

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How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.