Hiring a legal support worker in Des Moines, IA

Do Des Moines residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area pay?

Des Moines residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $103,194 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,310 as the median of the 6 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 8%, with the residents figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole legal group, not this one role. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area the group covers 6 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from legal support workers, all other at $44,470 to judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates at $147,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 6 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Des Moines and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Polk County, legal services employs 2,394 and turns over 5.8% a quarter, with 143 hires against 132 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,639 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5411.

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 legal support workers, all other. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

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 $44,470 median in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $8,894 to $13,341 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.

Questions employers ask about hiring a legal support worker in Des Moines

What does it cost to hire a legal support worker in Des Moines?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $44,470 median wage in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $8,894 to $13,341 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a legal support worker in Des Moines look like?

Employers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area pay legal support workers, all other a median of $44,470, with the middle half of the market between $40,620 and $59,840 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $40,620 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Des Moines residents in legal work earn more than employers in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area pay?

Des Moines residents working in legal occupations earn a median of $103,194 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $95,310 as the median of the 6 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 8%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Related

• Hiring Legal Support Workers, All Other: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Des Moines
• Every Iowa city we cover

Des Moines is the largest of 1 Iowa cities in this dataset.