ML Solutions Architect.

Where do you fall?

Salary trend

Estimated total: $225,000

If you are interviewing for ML Solutions Architect roles in Des Moines, here is what you are walking into. 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 for ML Solutions Architects is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack. Equity is a major component at roughly 25% of base — candidates should weight stock grants as heavily as salary when comparing offers. Within tech-sector ML Solutions Architects specifically, employer tier (FAANG and frontier-AI labs vs mid-stage startups vs traditional enterprise) drives 66%+ variance across the compensation band.

ML Solutions Architects typically progress Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff → Principal over 8 to 12 years, with the Staff+ levels carrying significant technical scope and cross-team influence. The director/VP track diverges around year 8 for those who choose management; IC staff-plus roles keep building technical depth. 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. Total compensation for ML Solutions Architects runs roughly $245K at median when factoring base + equity (25% of base annually) + bonus (15% of base). Equity is the single largest non-base component — candidates should model vesting schedules (typically 4-year with 1-year cliff) and compare grant values across offers carefully. At tech companies specifically, equity and sign-on are often the largest delta between offers — two roles with matching base can differ by $100K+ at total when equity is included. 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 $151,000, 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 ML Solutions Architects in Des Moines runs from $118,000 to $196,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Is your offer competitive?

Enter your ML Solutions Architect offer to see where you stand in Des Moines.

Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.

You have the data.

Now own the conversation.