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Salary · Registered Nurse · Iowa

Registered Nurse salary in Iowa: $78,630 median.

How pay for registered nurses in Iowa compares with the national figure and other states, and where in the state it is highest.

Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · Iowa · BLS May 2025
$78,630median in Iowa

Quick answer

Registered Nurses in Iowa earned a median of $78,630 a year in May 2025 (BLS), 19% below the national median of $97,550. Iowa ranked 48 of 51 for this occupation's median pay, with about 34,420 people employed.

Iowa median
$78,630
$37.80/hr
U.S. median
$97,550
-19% in Iowa
Rank among states
48 of 51
by median pay
Employed
34,420
location quotient 1.02
Metro areas

Where in Iowa it pays most

Data Metropolitan areas in the state with at least 30 people employed in the occupation.

  1. Iowa City, IA$85,940
  2. Omaha, NE-IA$84,600
  3. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$78,630
  4. Cedar Rapids, IA$78,370
  5. Ames, IA$77,160
  6. Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$77,150
  7. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA$76,920
  8. Dubuque, IA$76,790
Nearby in the ranking

States with similar pay

Data Ranked by state median, BLS May 2025.

  1. Kansas$79,320
  2. Arkansas$78,940
  3. Iowa$78,630
  4. South Dakota$78,060
  5. Mississippi$77,090

See all states on the national Registered Nurse salary page.

Keep exploring

More for Registered Nurses

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Method

How this page is built

BLS OEWS state and metropolitan-area estimates for May 2025, for the occupation shown. Ranks compare state medians only.

What this page can't tell you
  • Cost of living, which changes what a salary is worth.
  • Pay at a specific employer or for self-employed workers.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).