AI Agriculture Engineer.

Where do you fall?

Salary trend

Estimated total: $149,000

The AI Agriculture Engineer landscape in Des Moines is not what most salary sites will tell you. Des Moines is a major insurance and financial services hub, home to Principal Financial, EMC Insurance, and a growing fintech community. The city's extremely low cost of living and strong job market make it one of the best value cities for finance professionals. Compensation varies based on the specific application area: precision agriculture, crop yield prediction, livestock monitoring, or supply chain optimization. Engineers who can deploy computer vision for field analysis, build weather-adjusted prediction models, and integrate with farm equipment IoT systems earn premiums. Domain expertise in agronomy or soil science adds measurable value.

Junior AI agriculture engineers start at $75,000 to $90,000. Mid-level engineers building production crop monitoring systems reach $110,000 to $135,000. Senior engineers designing precision agriculture platforms earn $140,000 to $170,000. Directors of AI at major agriculture companies can reach $185,000 to $230,000 in total compensation. In Des Moines, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 14% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at AgTech startups adds $10,000 to $40,000 annually. Performance bonuses of 8% to 15% are common. Some positions offer housing assistance in agricultural regions. Benefits at large agriculture companies include comprehensive packages comparable to tech industry standards. And on the tax side: iowa has a flat 3.8% state income tax. Des Moines has no city income tax. The low rate and affordable housing create strong purchasing power. When someone quotes you $101,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Benchmark against national insurance industry pay scales. Des Moines insurance employers compete with remote offers from larger metros. The range for AI Agriculture Engineers in Des Moines runs from $75,000 to $132,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

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