Truck driver (heavy) · Des Moines, IA

Truck driver (heavy) in Des Moines: $1,261/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median truck driver (heavy) wage in Des Moines at $60,720 a year. About 7,840 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.46). The 10th percentile is $43,950 and the 90th is $79,240. Pay ranks 56th-highest of 387 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.1× 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 $1,261 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Lincoln, about 170 miles away, at $2,454 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$1,261

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$60,720

$43,950 to $79,240

Rent (1 bd)

$991

$1,180 (2 bd)

Employment

7,840

Location quotient 1.46

Pay rank

56th of 387

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

5.1×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, truck driver (heavy) pay of $60,720.

Taxes$970
Rent$991
Other living costs$1,838
Left over$1,261

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $60,720
Federal income tax: −$5,248
Social Security and Medicare: −$4,645
State income tax (IA): −$1,753
Take-home pay: $49,074
Effective tax rate: 19.2%

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

$5,060 gross, minus $970 in tax and $2,829 in living costs.

$1,261

Rank every metro for a truck driver (heavy)

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Lincoln, $2,454/mo.

Truck driver (heavy) leftover by city →Best cities for truck drivers to move to →

Truck driver (heavy) nearby

Questions

What does a truck driver (heavy) make in Des Moines?

$60,720 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 7,840 truck driver (heavy) jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a truck driver (heavy) in Des Moines?

$1,261 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Iowa charges a 3.80% flat income tax Rent is $991, and pay covers 5.1× a year of it.

Where nearby would a truck driver (heavy) keep more?

Lincoln, about 170 miles away, leaves $2,454 a month, more than Des Moines.