Salary data is based on the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metropolitan area and applied to Des Moines using local cost-of-living adjustments.

Interviewers Salaries in Des Moines, IA

Average Base Pay

$39,160/yr

11% below national average

Monthly

$3,263

Hourly

$19

Cost Index

Interviewers in Des Moines, IA earn an average of $39,160 per year, with most salaries falling between $31,328 and $46,992 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 11% below the national average, Des Moines offers a more modest rate for this role, in part reflecting a local cost of living index of 79. For professionals evaluating a move or negotiating an offer, the headline salary is only part of the picture—what matters most is how far that income actually goes once taxes, rent, and daily expenses are factored in. The sections below break that down in full for Des Moines.

Salary Range

The chart below shows the full compensation spectrum for this role, from entry-level to senior positions. The highlighted center bars represent the 25th–75th percentile band where most professionals are paid.

$29K
Low

$39K
Median

$49K
High

25th percentile: $33K75th percentile: $45K

About Interviewers

Recruiters identify, attract, and hire qualified candidates for open positions within an organization or on behalf of client companies. They manage the full recruitment lifecycle: partnering with hiring managers to define role requirements, sourcing candidates through job boards, LinkedIn, referrals, and talent networks, screening applicants, coordinating interviews, extending offers, and onboarding new hires. Effective sourcing is a core skill—crafting compelling job postings, building Boolean search strings to surface passive candidates, and cultivating relationships with talent pools for hard-to-fill roles. Recruiters must develop deep knowledge of the roles they recruit for, understanding the technical skills, experience signals, and cultural attributes that predict success. Candidate experience is increasingly important: recruiters who communicate promptly, honestly, and respectfully build employer brand and reduce offer decline rates. In agency or executive search settings, recruiters develop business development skills alongside search expertise. Technical recruiters specialize in software engineering, data science, and product roles, requiring familiarity with technical concepts to evaluate candidates credibly.

What Interviewers Do

Partner with hiring managers to define role requirements and develop job descriptions
Source candidates through LinkedIn, job boards, referrals, and talent databases
Screen resumes and conduct initial phone interviews to assess qualifications and fit
Coordinate interview schedules across hiring teams and candidates
Manage candidate communications and deliver a positive candidate experience
Extend job offers, negotiate compensation, and process acceptances
Track and report on pipeline metrics, time-to-fill, and source-of-hire data
Build and maintain talent pipelines for current and future hiring needs

Key Skills & Qualifications

Full-cycle recruiting including sourcing, screening, interviewing, and offer management
Applicant tracking systems such as Greenhouse, Lever, or Workday
LinkedIn Recruiter and Boolean search techniques
Interview design and structured assessment methods
Compensation benchmarking and offer negotiation
Employer branding and candidate experience optimization
Data analysis of recruiting metrics
Strong communication and relationship-building skills

Career Path

Recruiting Coordinator
Recruiter
Senior Recruiter
Lead Recruiter / Recruiting Manager
Director of Talent Acquisition

Interviewers Market in Des Moines, IA

Salary Competitiveness

Des Moines currently pays 11% below the national median for Interviewers. This gap can reflect a lower regional cost base, thinner employer density, or a surplus of qualified candidates relative to open roles—factors worth factoring into any offer negotiation or relocation calculation.

Cost of Living Impact

Des Moines's cost of living runs below the national average, which works in favor of this salary. Essential monthly expenses account for approximately 90% of take-home pay—a ratio that leaves meaningful room for savings, debt reduction, and discretionary spending compared with higher-cost metros.

Effective Purchasing Power

Despite a competitive gross salary, a Interviewers earning $39,160 in Des Moines operates in a tight purchasing-power band once taxes and local cost of living are applied. Careful planning around housing, transportation, and discretionary spending is essential to avoid running negative disposable income month to month.

vs. National Avg

-11%

Cost Pressure

90%

Purchasing Power

Tight

Take-Home Pay Calculator

Enter any gross salary to see how federal and state taxes affect your actual take-home pay, broken down by year, month, and week. Results use an estimated effective tax rate of 27% based on this location and income level.

Annual Salary

Take-home (73%)Taxes (27%)

Annual Net

$28,587

Monthly

$2,382

Weekly

$550

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $39,160 for a Interviewers in Des Moines translates to roughly $2,382 in monthly take-home pay after estimated federal and state taxes. Set against monthly living costs of $2,133—covering housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare—that leaves approximately $249 per month in disposable income. That margin, not the gross number, is what determines whether you can comfortably cover rent, build savings, and afford discretionary spending in Des Moines's current market.

How far does this salary go in Des Moines?

Cost of Living in Des Moines

Estimated monthly expenses for a single person in Des Moines, benchmarked against US regional price indices for housing, food, transportation, utilities, and healthcare.

Cost Index

Below Avg — US average is 100. Based on a single person (1-bed apartment).

🏠Housing / Rent$1,150/mo

🍔Food & Groceries$435/mo

🚗Transportation$115/mo

💡Utilities$155/mo

🏥Healthcare$278/mo

Monthly$2,133

Annual$25,596

Disposable Income$249

Financial Reality Check

This section compares estimated monthly take-home pay against typical living costs in Des Moines to show your real disposable income—the amount remaining after essential bills are paid each month.

Monthly Take-Home

$2,382

Living Costs

$2,133

Disposable

$249

Cost Index

Lifestyle

Tight

With a monthly take-home of $2,382, your estimated living costs in Des Moines are $2,133 ($25,596/yr). This leaves $249 per month in disposable income, indicating a tight standard of living. Des Moines's cost of living is 21% below the national average.

Overall, a Interviewers earning $39,160 in Des Moines falls into a tight lifestyle tier and will need to budget carefully—essential costs consume a significant share of take-home pay, leaving limited room for savings or emergencies. With a cost index of 79, Des Moines is 21% more affordable than the national average, which extends your purchasing power. Regardless of tier, prioritizing retirement contributions, an emergency fund of three to six months' expenses, and incremental debt reduction will yield the greatest long-term financial stability—especially as living costs in Des Moines continue to evolve.