Best Government Contracting Schools Near Des Moines, IA (2026)

Des Moines, Iowa is home to about 212,464 residents. Median household income is $63,966 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning government contracting-related role is Administrative Services Managers at a median $126,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Government Contracting Schools to Des Moines

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer government contracting programs near Des Moines, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Des Moines city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa government contracting page.


Government Contracting Wages Near Des Moines

Des Moines is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Purchasing Managers $122,910 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $134,035
Management Analysts $90,730 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $98,942
Compliance Officers $84,590 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $92,246
Logisticians $77,860 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $84,907
Business Operations Specialists, All Other $86,540 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $94,373
Administrative Services Managers $126,190 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $137,612
Cost Estimators $78,500 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $85,605
General and Operations Managers $98,780 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $107,721

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Des Moines at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 212,464 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,966 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 29.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Des Moines-Area Cities With Government Contracting Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

What are the highest-paying government contracting roles near Des Moines?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying government contracting-related roles near Des Moines are: Administrative Services Managers ($126,190), Purchasing Managers ($122,910), General and Operations Managers ($98,780). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in West Des Moines instead of Des Moines?

West Des Moines, IA is 8.9 miles from Des Moines and has its own set of local government contracting programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Des Moines an affordable place to study government contracting?

Des Moines’s median household income of $63,966 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Des Moines while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


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Other Programs Available in Des Moines

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Des Moines:

Data verified: September 7, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.