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.

Physicians Salaries in Des Moines, IA

Average Base Pay

$141,200/yr

3% below national average

Monthly

$11,767

Hourly

$68

Cost Index

Physicians in Des Moines, IA earn an average of $141,200 per year, with most salaries falling between $112,960 and $169,440 depending on experience, employer, and specialization. At 3% 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.

$106K
Low

$141K
Median

$177K
High

25th percentile: $120K75th percentile: $162K

About Physicians

Physicians diagnose and treat illnesses, injuries, and medical conditions across a wide range of specialties. General practitioners and family medicine physicians manage undifferentiated health problems and chronic conditions for patients of all ages, serving as the primary point of care and coordinating specialist referrals. Internists focus on adult medicine and often subspecialize in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, or pulmonology. Surgeons perform operative procedures to treat conditions ranging from appendicitis and cancer to orthopedic injuries and heart disease. Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental health conditions using medication management and psychotherapy. Emergency physicians manage acute and life-threatening conditions in high-acuity settings. Pediatricians care for infants, children, and adolescents. Pathologists diagnose disease through laboratory analysis of tissue, blood, and other specimens. Radiologists interpret medical imaging studies. The educational pathway requires four years of medical school following a bachelor's degree, three to seven years of residency training, and often additional fellowship training in a subspecialty. Physicians are licensed by state medical boards and must maintain board certification through continuous medical education and periodic examinations.

What Physicians Do

Obtain patient history and perform physical examinations
Diagnose conditions based on clinical findings and diagnostic test results
Develop and implement individualized treatment plans
Prescribe medications and therapies
Order and interpret diagnostic tests including laboratory studies and imaging
Perform procedures appropriate to specialty
Coordinate care with specialists, nurses, and allied health professionals
Maintain accurate medical records and complete documentation

Key Skills & Qualifications

Clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning
Medical knowledge across pathophysiology, pharmacology, and treatment
Procedure-specific technical skills relevant to specialty
Patient communication and shared decision-making
Interpretation of laboratory and radiographic data
Electronic health record documentation
MD or DO degree, residency completion, and board certification
Medical licensure in state(s) of practice

Career Path

Medical Student
Resident Physician
Attending Physician
Subspecialty Fellow
Department Chief / Medical Director

Physicians Market in Des Moines, IA

Salary Competitiveness

Des Moines salaries for Physicians track closely with the national median, diverging by less than 4%. This alignment suggests a competitive but balanced local market—employers are broadly in step with national pay scales, which can make benchmark comparisons more reliable when negotiating.

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 25% 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

After adjusting for local taxes and cost of living, a Physicians earning $141,200 in Des Moines reaches a strong purchasing-power position. The effective standard of living this income supports is materially higher than the gross number alone implies—a useful data point for professionals comparing offers across metro areas.

vs. National Avg

-3%

Cost Pressure

25%

Purchasing Power

Strong

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

$103,076

Monthly

$8,590

Weekly

$1,982

Eff. Tax Rate

27%

A gross salary of $141,200 for a Physicians in Des Moines translates to roughly $8,590 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 $6,457 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$6,457

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

$8,590

Living Costs

$2,133

Disposable

$6,457

Cost Index

Lifestyle

Comfortable

With a monthly take-home of $8,590, your estimated living costs in Des Moines are $2,133 ($25,596/yr). This leaves $6,457 per month in disposable income, indicating a comfortable standard of living. Des Moines's cost of living is 21% below the national average.

Overall, a Physicians earning $141,200 in Des Moines falls into a comfortable lifestyle tier and has meaningful room to save, invest, and absorb unexpected expenses without financial stress. 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.