Hiring a database administrator in Des Moines, IA

Employers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area pay database administrators a median of $109,750, with the middle half of the market between $76,500 and $140,510. Des Moines residents working in computer and mathematical occupations report a median of $81,523, which is 26% below what the metro pays for this role.

Get Instant Pricing

What does a database administrator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$76,500
Median	$109,750
75th percentile	$140,510

Half of database administrators in this area earn between $76,500 and $140,510. A band set below $76,500 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Des Moines residents earn

$81,523

Median earnings of Des Moines residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 4,763 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 26% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Des Moines rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance.
Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
Test changes to database applications or systems.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 15-1242.

Tools and technologies in demand

Amazon Redshift, Amazon Simple Storage Service S3, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Airflow, Apache Hadoop, Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Git.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Des Moines?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 29% of Des Moines adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Des Moines commute runs 19.6 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 11.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Polk County, computer systems design and related services employs 4,153 and turns over 7.5% a quarter, with 315 hires against 350 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,522 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about database administrators. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $21,950 to $32,925 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.