Skip to content
AffordMap
Sales

Telemarketers Salary

in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

In Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, telemarketers earn $32,180 at the median, or about $15.47 an hour. The range runs from $29K at the entry level to $38K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.7), which stretches that salary to about $35,093 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,318/month, about 60% of take-home, which is tight.

$32K
Median annual
$15.47/hr
Hourly rate
$29K
Entry level (10th %)
$38K
Senior level (90th %)

So what does $32K get you in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

Estimated take-home pay$2,206/mo
Rent (2BR median)-$1,318/mo
Rent as % of take-home59.7% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Groceries-$359/mo
Utilities-$180/mo
Transportation-$315/mo
Healthcare *-$209/mo
Left over-$175/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Des Moines-West Des Moines’s Regional Price Parity (91.7). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.

Rentals in Des Moines-West Des Moines
Filter by your budget
View →
Rent too high? Buying might cost less
Compare mortgage rates from multiple lenders
Check rates →

About telemarketers

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
U.S. employed: 58,430
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA employed: 400
Category: Sales

Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more

View jobs for Telemarketers
Currently hiring in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
View (opens in new tab)

What this looks like in Des Moines-West Des Moines

Telemarketers pay in Des Moines-West Des Moines tracks closely to the national median, $32K locally vs. $35K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,318/month, which is 59.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.7 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 8% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.

Compared to nearby metros

Median pay for telemarketers in metros near Des Moines-West Des Moines, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
Cedar Rapids$39K$44K
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island$37K$41K
Waterloo-Cedar Falls$29K$33K
St. Louis$31K$33K

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

Bar chart showing Telemarketers salary percentiles in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: 10th percentile $29,070, 25th percentile $29,070, median $32,180, 75th percentile $37,860, 90th percentile $38,480. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$29K25th$29KMedian$32K75th$38K90th$38K
Bar chart showing Telemarketers salary percentiles in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA: 10th percentile $29,070, 25th percentile $29,070, median $32,180, 75th percentile $37,860, 90th percentile $38,480. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level telemarketers (10th percentile) start around $29K. Mid-career wages sit at $32K. Top earners bring in $38K or more, a $9K spread from bottom to top.

Share

Telemarketers pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Telemarketers salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
Kansas$48K+35%N/A
Colorado$48K+34%880
California$46K+30%3,880
Connecticut$45K+28%110
Massachusetts$45K+26%N/A
Oregon$42K+19%420
New York$41K+17%1,960
Minnesota$40K+12%650
Washington$40K+12%300
Idaho$39K+11%280
New Jersey$39K+11%410
Arizona$38K+6%1,550
Virginia$37K+6%N/A
South Carolina$37K+5%1,060
Utah$37K+3%390
Georgia$36K+2%2,620
Maryland$36K+0%540
Florida$36K+0%9,760
Ohio$35K-0%3,090
Alabama$35K-2%1,330
Kentucky$34K-3%910
North Carolina$34K-3%1,820
Texas$34K-3%3,660
Nevada$34K-3%2,200
Iowa$34K-5%1,100
West Virginia$33K-6%440
Wisconsin$33K-6%1,160
Michigan$33K-7%1,120
Maine$33K-8%N/A
Indiana$32K-11%690
Nebraska$31K-12%490
Illinois$31K-12%870
New Hampshire$31K-14%530
Missouri$30K-16%2,710
Tennessee$29K-17%2,210
Arkansas$29K-18%840
Louisiana$29K-18%380
Pennsylvania$28K-20%1,710
Oklahoma$27K-24%470
North Dakota$23K-34%120
Mississippi$22K-39%370
12345

Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track telemarketers salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Des Moines-West Des Moines numbers change.

More openings for Telemarketers
Currently hiring in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
View (opens in new tab)
Prepare for the CPA exam
Online prep courses
View (opens in new tab)
Would this salary go further somewhere else?
Compare your purchasing power across cities
Compare →
How do you get into this field?
Education, licensing, and what the career path looks like
Read guide →

Related careers in Sales

Frequently asked questions

Can a telemarketer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $32K, rent takes 59.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,318/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for telemarketers in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new telemarketers typically earn — is $29K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,744/month. At HUD’s $1,318/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is telemarketer a high-paying job in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $32K locally vs. $35K nationally, a 9% difference.

How does Des Moines-West Des Moines compare to the national average for telemarketers?

Des Moines-West Des Moines pays $32K median vs. the U.S. average of $35K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.7), the purchasing-power equivalent is $35K — below the national median.

How much do telemarketers make in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

The median is $32,180 a year, that works out to about $15 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $29,070, and experienced telemarketers can clear $38,480. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $32K enough to live in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,206/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,318/month, which eats 59.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

How far does a telemarketers salary go in Des Moines-West Des Moines?

Des Moines-West Des Moines has a Regional Price Parity of 91.7 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median telemarketers salary is worth about $35,093 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do telemarketers get paid the most?

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.

All careers in Des Moines-West Des Moines
Top-paying jobs, rent, and cost of living
Location hub →

People also searched