Pharmacist · Des Moines, IA
Pharmacist in Des Moines: $5,704/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median pharmacist wage in Des Moines at $141,110 a year. About 850 pharmacist jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.01). The 10th percentile is $123,510 and the 90th is $164,900. Pay ranks 160th-highest of 385 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 11.9× 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 $5,704 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is La Crosse, about 199 miles away, at $6,555 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$5,704
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$141,110
$123,510 to $164,900
Rent (1 bd)
$991
$1,180 (2 bd)
Employment
850
Location quotient 1.01
Pay rank
160th of 385
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
11.9×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, pharmacist pay of $141,110.
- Taxes$3,226
- Rent$991
- Other living costs$1,838
- Left over$5,704
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $141,110
- Federal income tax
- −$23,113
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$10,795
- State income tax (IA)
- −$4,807
- Take-home pay
- $102,394
- Effective tax rate
- 27.4%
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
$11,759 gross, minus $3,226 in tax and $2,829 in living costs.
$5,704
Rank every metro for a pharmacist
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: La Crosse, $6,555/mo.
Pharmacist leftover by city →Best cities for pharmacists to move to →Pharmacist nearby
Other jobs in Des Moines
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a pharmacist make in Des Moines?
$141,110 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 850 pharmacist jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a pharmacist in Des Moines?
$5,704 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $991, and pay covers 11.9× a year of it.
Where nearby would a pharmacist keep more?
La Crosse, about 199 miles away, leaves $6,555 a month, more than Des Moines.