Median pay · Iowa
$48,540A year, or $23 an hour.| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile1 in 10 earn less | $28,930 | $14 |
| 25th percentile | $36,570 | $18 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $48,540 | $23 |
| 75th percentile | $70,290 | $34 |
| 90th percentile1 in 10 earn more | $99,630 | $48 |
| MeanAll pay divided by all jobs | $59,830 | $29 |
All occupations combined. Individual occupations vary far more than this figure suggests. The tables below show the spread.
How we got this
- Median wage in IowaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of all wage earners here were paid more than this, half less.$48,540
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$23.34
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,332 a month at an effective rate of 17.6%.$39,989 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in Iowa sit at 87.8 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$55,309
- Against the national medianThe national median is $50,980.4.8% below
- Jobs countedWage and salary jobs; the self-employed are not surveyed.1,559,240
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
Questions
Pay in Iowa: common questions
What is the average salary in Iowa?
$59,830 a year, or $28.76 an hour, across every job the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveyed in Iowa for May 2025.
The median is lower, $48,540: half of workers earn more and half earn less. The average sits above it because a smaller number of very high salaries pull it up, so the median is closer to what a typical worker makes.
What is a good salary in Iowa?
Anything over $48,540 pays more than half the jobs in Iowa. $70,290 puts you in the top quarter and $99,630 in the top 10%.
A single person on the median keeps about $3,332 a month after federal, state and FICA tax.
What are the highest-paying jobs in Iowa?
By median pay: emergency medicine physicians ($429,050), radiologists ($405,220), ophthalmologists ($394,900), obstetricians and gynecologists ($356,020) and pathologists ($323,460). The table on this page lists the top 25.
What are the most common jobs in Iowa?
By number of jobs: cashiers ($28,970), retail salespersons ($31,360), fast food or counter workers ($28,390), truck drivers ($58,070) and registered nurses ($78,630), with the median pay for each.