Iowa
Across all occupations in Iowa, the median wage is $48,540 a year ($23.34 an hour) and the mean $59,830, May 2025. That median is −5% against the US median of $50,980. BLS counts 1,559,240 jobs in the state. The highest-paying occupation is emergency medicine physicians; the largest is cashiers.
All occupations: Iowa vs the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Iowa | Hourly | $13.91 | $17.58 | $23.34 | $33.79 | $47.90 | $28.76 | 1,559,240 |
| Annual | $28,930 | $36,570 | $48,540 | $70,290 | $99,630 | $59,830 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
Minimum wage in Iowa
The wage floor is a separate question from these survey figures. See the Iowa minimum wage page for the current rate, scheduled increases and tipped rules, verified against the U.S. Department of Labor.
20 highest-paying occupations in Iowa
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | $429,050 | $206.27 | 290 |
| 2 | Dermatologists | $424,970 | $204.31 | ** |
| 3 | Radiologists | $405,220 | $194.82 | 130 |
| 4 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $394,900 | $189.86 | 90 |
| 5 | Surgeons, All Other | $370,390 | $178.07 | 110 |
| 6 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $356,020 | $171.16 | 180 |
| 7 | Physicians, Pathologists | $323,460 | $155.51 | 80 |
| 8 | Psychiatrists | $295,270 | $141.96 | 170 |
| 9 | Physicians, All Other | $295,190 | $141.92 | 1,440 |
| 10 | Cardiologists | $283,070 | $136.09 | 100 |
| 11 | Nurse Anesthetists | $273,070 | $131.29 | 380 |
| 12 | Family Medicine Physicians | $265,200 | $127.50 | 1,140 |
| 13 | Pediatricians, General | $262,440 | $126.17 | 230 |
| 14 | Chief Executives | $211,190 | $101.54 | 3,050 |
| 15 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | $189,410 | $91.06 | 260 |
| 16 | Dentists, General | $181,520 | $87.27 | 1,240 |
| 17 | Physicists | $178,110 | $85.63 | 110 |
| 18 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $160,700 | * | 90 |
| 19 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $147,510 | $70.92 | 410 |
| 20 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $147,320 | $70.83 | 1,520 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Iowa
Occupation groups in Iowa
Metropolitan areas in Iowa
9 metropolitan areas touch Iowa, plus 4 nonmetropolitan areas, with the all-occupations median of each. A linked metropolitan area has its own profile; nonmetropolitan areas appear here only.
| Area | Type | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ames, IA | Metropolitan | $50,220 | $24.14 | 55,890 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | Metropolitan | $49,360 | $23.73 | 139,260 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | Metropolitan | $48,550 | $23.34 | 180,450 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | Metropolitan | $51,820 | $24.91 | 404,130 |
| Dubuque, IA | Metropolitan | $48,750 | $23.44 | 58,470 |
| Iowa City, IA | Metropolitan | $50,060 | $24.07 | 93,760 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | Metropolitan | $49,660 | $23.88 | 498,100 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | Metropolitan | $47,030 | $22.61 | 75,010 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | Metropolitan | $47,430 | $22.80 | 84,260 |
| Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $46,970 | $22.58 | 99,370 |
| Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $47,020 | $22.61 | 145,960 |
| Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $46,670 | $22.44 | 73,240 |
| Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | Nonmetropolitan | $47,190 | $22.69 | 200,390 |
Occupation pages for Iowa
62 occupations have a dedicated Iowa page with the state's percentiles, its metro table and a comparison with neighbouring states.
- Accountants and Auditors $77,440
- Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $50,510
- Bartenders $21,720
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $48,180
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $80,470
- Carpenters $57,710
- Cashiers $28,970
- Computer and Information Systems Managers $143,780
- Computer User Support Specialists $58,810
- Construction Laborers $48,490
- Cooks, Fast Food $28,510
- Cooks, Restaurant $35,670
- Customer Service Representatives $46,090
- Electricians $60,860
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $60,580
- Fast Food and Counter Workers $28,390
- Financial Managers $133,320
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $78,510
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $38,760
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $64,400
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,750
- First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $46,610
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $60,490
- Food Preparation Workers $30,360
- General and Operations Managers $87,690
- Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $58,070
- Home Health and Personal Care Aides $36,080
- Human Resources Specialists $66,710
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $47,590
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $35,380
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $43,490
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $38,920
- Lawyers $123,550
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $62,630
- Light Truck Drivers $42,750
- Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $32,620
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $52,160
- Management Analysts $85,530
- Managers, All Other $128,080
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $66,390
- Medical Assistants $45,480
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $40,980
- Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,450
- Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $48,920
- Nursing Assistants $39,350
- Office Clerks, General $44,310
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $74,470
- Project Management Specialists $96,540
- Receptionists and Information Clerks $37,330
- Registered Nurses $78,630
- Retail Salespersons $31,360
- Sales Managers $134,010
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $62,420
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $66,760
- Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,200
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $45,150
- Security Guards $37,080
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $47,590
- Software Developers $114,890
- Stockers and Order Fillers $36,640
- Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $30,510
- Waiters and Waitresses $21,000
Take-home pay and benefits calculators for Iowa
FastCalc, a sister site, has these calculators for Iowa. Each takes your own figures; this site computes nothing.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Iowa estimates.
#- Equal to or greater than the top code (BLS publishes no wage above it).
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in Iowa.