SOC 27-2041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Music Directors and Composers — Des Moines
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
The median wage for Music Directors and Composers in Des Moines, IA is $61,740 per year, 16.2% below the national median of $73,710.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -0.3%
- Openings per year
- 4,300
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
25.6% of people in this occupation work for themselves.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Music Directors and Composers in Des Moines, IA is $61,740 per year, 16.2% below the national median of $73,710. Pay ranges from under $46,760 at the tenth percentile to more than $75,700 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $51,570 to $66,300.
The area has 70 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.2 of every thousand jobs. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 245th of 508 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $46,760 | −36.6% |
| 25th | $51,570 | −30.0% |
| Median (50th) | $61,740 | −16.2% |
| 75th | $66,300 | −10.1% |
| 90th | $75,700 | +2.7% |
| Mean | $63,820 | −13.4% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Des Moines run 8.3% below the national average, so the median of $61,740 goes as far as $67,328 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 8.7% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$61,740as reported by BLSLocal price level
91.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$67,328US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $61,740 a year, 16.2% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $46,760 to $75,700 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 70 jobs in this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Music Directors and Composers in Des Moines, IA?
The median annual wage is $61,740, or $29.68 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $73,710, so pay in Des Moines, IA is 16.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Des Moines, IA earns more than $75,700 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $46,760 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 70 jobs in this occupation in Des Moines, IA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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