Marketing Specialist salary in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

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

The middle half of marketing specialists in Des Moines-West Des Moines earns $57,770–$102,070. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $128,100, only 2.8 times the bottom tenth, against 3.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $44,300 wide, between the figure for Iowa ($35,670) and the US figure ($49,960).

What to budget for a marketing specialist here

The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $18,810 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $25,490, or about $32,890 once benefits are added. 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 $78,760 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Des Moines-West Des Moines, and the Iowa statewide median of $66,390 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 $22,233 to the $76,580 median and brings it to $98,813 a year. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for marketing specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee³; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool⁴.

Other roles in Des Moines-West Des Moines

Of the 17 roles we track in Des Moines-West Des Moines, this one ranks #3 by median pay, between accountants ($79,290) and office managers ($71,690). Project Coordinator is the highest at $101,150.

Measured against the US median, marketing specialists rank #10 of the 17 roles we track in Des Moines-West Des Moines (-2.8%), between project coordinators (-1.1%) and paralegals (-4.5%). The typical role here is at -1.1%, so this job follows the area's general pay level. Marketing specialists hold 7.6% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Des Moines-West Des Moines, 6.5% across Iowa and 5.7% 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 $56,230 in Sioux City to $76,580 in Des Moines-West Des Moines, a gap of $20,350 a year. No other area in Iowa has as many marketing specialists, 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 #43 of 514 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside Iowa, Lakeland-Winter Haven and Jacksonville pay just above Des Moines-West Des Moines and Kennewick-Richland and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie just below. All four are within $280 a year of the median in Des Moines-West Des Moines. Of the three markets with about as many marketing specialists, one pays more.

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