Lawyer · Des Moines, IA
Lawyer in Des Moines: $5,352/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median lawyer wage in Des Moines at $134,560 a year. About 1,760 lawyer jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.90). The 10th percentile is $65,830 and the 90th is $292,020. Pay ranks 82nd-highest of 376 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 11.3× a year of one-bedroom rent ($991/mo). Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $5,352 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Peoria, about 227 miles away, at $6,581 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$5,352
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$134,560
$65,830 to $292,020
Rent (1 bd)
$991
$1,180 (2 bd)
Employment
1,760
Location quotient 0.90
Pay rank
82nd of 376
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
11.3×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, lawyer pay of $134,560.
- Taxes$3,033
- Rent$991
- Other living costs$1,838
- Left over$5,352
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $134,560
- Federal income tax
- −$21,541
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$10,294
- State income tax (IA)
- −$4,558
- Take-home pay
- $98,166
- Effective tax rate
- 27.0%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $991
- Groceries
- $360
- Getting around
- $533
- Healthcare
- $405
- Utilities and internet
- $225
- Everything else
- $315
- Total spending
- $2,829
Left over each month
$11,213 gross, minus $3,033 in tax and $2,829 in living costs.
$5,352
Rank every metro for a lawyer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Peoria, $6,581/mo.
Lawyer leftover by city →Best cities for lawyers to move to →Lawyer nearby
Other jobs in Des Moines
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a lawyer make in Des Moines?
$134,560 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,760 lawyer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a lawyer in Des Moines?
$5,352 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $991, and pay covers 11.3× a year of it.
Where nearby would a lawyer keep more?
Peoria, about 227 miles away, leaves $6,581 a month, more than Des Moines.