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1 / 32#32. Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Median annual wage: $48,220
- Median hourly wage: $23.19
- Total employment: 290 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Des Moines
Managers are the glue holding companies and organizations together. At the executive level, managers are responsible for overall strategy and improving the bottom line. At lower levels, managers make decisions, build relationships, help customers, and lead teams to complete projects.
Effective managers need a wide array of skills. They must be versatile enough to adapt to new initiatives, market changes, and technology. Good communication is also essential to work with customers and team members, and leadership and project management skills drive better results for the organization.
People drawn to this role often enjoy setting goals and working with others to achieve them. Many get satisfaction from mentoring others and helping them grow to the best of their abilities.
As companies grow, more layers of management are often added to streamline productivity and oversee different teams. Depending on a manager's capabilities, teams can range from a few people to 15 or more. However, some companies believe that too much bureaucracy can slow output, leading to managerial cuts. In 2023, managers and executives accounted for half of all layoffs, according to Live Data Technologies. Amazon and United Parcel Service contributed to the trend, eliminating thousands of management jobs in 2024.
Organizational flattening may make headlines, but having a good manager can go a long way toward keeping workers motivated and projects on track. A 2021 Gallup report found that managerial quality is responsible for 70% of a team's engagement level, meaning that the right leader can make a profound impact on an organization.
As vital as managers are, compensation for these jobs varies by industry. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying management jobs in Des Moines. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 32#31. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $57,500
- Median hourly wage: $27.65
- Total employment: 130 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
3 / 32#30. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $59,870
- Median hourly wage: $28.78
- Total employment: 660 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
4 / 32#29. Personal service managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $61,740
- Median hourly wage: $29.69
- Total employment: 80 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
5 / 32#28. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $63,490
- Median hourly wage: $30.52
- Total employment: 160 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
6 / 32#27. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 650 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
7 / 32#26. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $74,910
- Median hourly wage: $36.01
- Total employment: 310 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
8 / 32#25. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $86,050
- Median hourly wage: $41.37
- Total employment: 390 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
9 / 32#24. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $93,040
- Median hourly wage: $44.73
- Total employment: 110 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
10 / 32#23. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $93,750
- Median hourly wage: $45.07
- Total employment: 9,080 people (22.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
11 / 32#22. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $99,410
- Median hourly wage: $47.79
- Total employment: 780 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
12 / 32#21. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $99,560
- Median hourly wage: $47.87
- Total employment: 60 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
13 / 32#20. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $100,210
- Median hourly wage: $48.18
- Total employment: 520 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
14 / 32#19. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $100,570
- Median hourly wage: $48.35
- Total employment: 100 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
15 / 32#18. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $100,650
- Median hourly wage: $48.39
- Total employment: 460 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
16 / 32#17. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $102,880
- Median hourly wage: $49.46
- Total employment: Not available
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
17 / 32#16. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $103,180
- Median hourly wage: $49.61
- Total employment: 120 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
18 / 32#15. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $103,370
- Median hourly wage: $49.70
- Total employment: 1,450 people (3.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
19 / 32#14. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $105,220
- Median hourly wage: $50.59
- Total employment: 520 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
20 / 32#13. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $111,470
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 820 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
21 / 32#12. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $114,970
- Median hourly wage: $55.27
- Total employment: 220 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 32#11. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $119,060
- Median hourly wage: $57.24
- Total employment: 190 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
23 / 32#10. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $123,190
- Median hourly wage: $59.23
- Total employment: 490 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
24 / 32#9. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $125,100
- Median hourly wage: $60.14
- Total employment: 70 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
25 / 32#8. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $132,370
- Median hourly wage: $63.64
- Total employment: 1,040 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
26 / 32#7. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $134,170
- Median hourly wage: $64.50
- Total employment: 970 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
27 / 32#6. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $134,310
- Median hourly wage: $64.57
- Total employment: 300 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
28 / 32#5. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $137,350
- Median hourly wage: $66.04
- Total employment: 570 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
29 / 32#4. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $139,520
- Median hourly wage: $67.08
- Total employment: 1,350 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
30 / 32#3. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $143,600
- Median hourly wage: $69.04
- Total employment: 4,090 people (10.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
31 / 32#2. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $147,160
- Median hourly wage: $70.75
- Total employment: 1,910 people (4.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 32#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $213,620
- Median hourly wage: $102.70
- Total employment: 1,080 people (2.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
