Salaries in Iowa, United States
Reference period May 2025 · Data updated
Iowa has a published median for 20 of the 20 occupations we track from this source.
The best-paid is dentist at $181,520; the lowest of the tracked roles is paralegal at $54,550.
1 of these roles pay more than 3% above the national median here, 16 pay more than 3% below it and 3 are within 3%.
The largest gap is for frontend developer: 31% below the national figure.
Across all occupations the median wage is $48,540, against $50,980 nationally.
Its largest cities by GeoNames population are Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport.
Pay by role in Iowa
| Role | Median Observed | vs United States Derived |
|---|---|---|
| DentistDentists, General | $181,520 | +6% |
| PharmacistPharmacists | $138,860 | -1% |
| Marketing ManagerMarketing Managers | $131,120 | -21% |
| ActuaryActuaries | $128,690 | -1% |
| LawyerLawyers | $123,550 | -23% |
| Cybersecurity AnalystInformation Security Analysts | $119,710 | -7% |
| Software EngineerSoftware Developers | $114,890 | -16% |
| Electrical EngineerElectrical Engineers | $105,820 | -12% |
| School PrincipalEducation Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $104,260 | -2% |
| Mechanical EngineerMechanical Engineers | $97,700 | -6% |
| Physical TherapistPhysical Therapists | $97,560 | -5% |
| Project ManagerProject Management Specialists | $96,540 | -6% |
| Civil EngineerCivil Engineers | $96,430 | -4% |
| Data ScientistData Scientists | $95,830 | -20% |
| Financial AnalystFinancial and Investment Analysts | $92,370 | -10% |
| Registered NurseRegistered Nurses | $78,630 | -19% |
| AccountantAccountants and Auditors | $77,440 | -7% |
| Frontend DeveloperWeb Developers | $64,210 | -31% |
| TeacherSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $61,200 | -15% |
| ParalegalParalegals and Legal Assistants | $54,550 | -13% |
Roles without a link have too few reliable published figures, or differ too little from the national figure, for a separate page; their figure is shown here instead.
Largest cities
- Des Moines: population 214,133 (GeoNames)
- Cedar Rapids: population 130,405 (GeoNames)
- Davenport: population 102,582 (GeoNames)
- Sioux City: population 82,821 (GeoNames)
- Iowa City: population 74,220 (GeoNames)
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Source, method and data quality
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Reference period: May 2025. Updates: Yearly (spring release).
- Observed figures are copied from the published table without adjustment. Derived figures (rankings, ratios and differences) are calculated by us from those observed figures. No figure on this page is modeled or estimated.
- Relative standard error (PRSE) published per estimate.
- Place hierarchy from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Data last updated: .
- Full method: methodology.