Nurse pay in Iowa
Nurses in Iowa are being offered a median $91,728 a year right now across 281 live job postings that state pay — ranking #29 of 51 states. Updated September 10, 2026.
Where does your pay sit in Iowa?
Checked against 281 live postings that state pay. Your number stays in your browser.
Enter your pay to see your percentile.
Posted offers on live listings — not take-home pay or a promise of what any one nurse will earn.
Iowa market overview
- 25th percentile
- $77,500
- Median
- $91,728
- 75th percentile
- $112,702
- 90th percentile
- $132,912
- Median hourly (120 postings)
- $36/hr
- Sign-on bonus, median (133 postings)
- $10,000
- Sign-on bonus, highest posted
- $20,000
- Live postings stating pay
- 281
Annual figures are posted offers (midpoint of stated ranges) on live listings, updated September 10, 2026.
What each specialty is offered in Iowa
| Specialty | Median | 90th percentile | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Occupations | $85k | $123k | 58 |
| Nursing Occupations | $85k | $123k | 58 |
| Patient Care Nursing Occupations | $85k | $123k | 53 |
| Registered Nurses | $85k | $130k | 43 |
| ICU | $107k | $132k | 22 |
| Acute Care | $116k | $139k | 13 |
| Travel | $117k | $141k | 12 |
| Allied Health Occupations | $79k | $103k | 9 |
| Hospitals and Health Care | $84k | $92k | 9 |
| Medical/Surgical | $116k | $128k | 9 |
| Nursing Management/Admin | $117k | $128k | 9 |
| Education/Staff Development | $117k | $129k | 7 |
| General | $107k | $138k | 7 |
| Higher Education | $62k | $69k | 7 |
| Home Health | $84k | $94k | 7 |
| Medical-Surgical | $128k | $143k | 7 |
| Nurse Case Managers | $79k | $107k | 7 |
| Patient Case Managers & Advocates | $79k | $107k | 7 |
| Telemetry | $114k | $137k | 7 |
| Geriatric | $99k | $101k | 6 |
| Infectious Disease | $118k | $131k | 6 |
| Administrative & Consulting Nurses | $100k | $119k | 5 |
| Wellness and Fitness Services, Hospitals and Health Care, and Medical Practices | $92k | $92k | 5 |
Highest-offering employers in Iowa right now
- #1$133k
FirstChoice
median across 30 priced postings
- #2$127k
Genie Healthcare
median across 4 priced postings
- #3$111k
TNAA Healthcare
median across 19 priced postings
- #4$110k
Supplemental Health Care
median across 4 priced postings
- #5$105k
Fusion Medical Staffing
median across 4 priced postings
What nurses say they’re paidreported by nurses
No nurse reports from Iowa yet. Five reports unlock the state summary.
What are you being paid?
30 seconds. Your report joins the community-reported series (always labeled nurse-reported) so nurses can compare real experiences with what employers post.
What to do with this
- See the rolesSee open nursing roles in IowaEvery posting behind these numbers is a live job you can open and apply to.
- Offer in hand?Run it through the offer reality calculatorTurn it into a full-year number, see what it's worth where you'd live, and compare offers side by side.
- 3-minute PULSEFind the work that brings out your bestPay is one axis. Your pace, decision style, connection, scope, and energy rhythm shape the rest.
- CommunityAsk nurses what they really take homeDifferentials, ratios, and the offer nobody posts. Bring your number and compare notes.
Want the craft behind the numbers — differentials, negotiating, travel packages? Read the pay & salary guides.
Questions nurses ask
- How much do nurses make in Iowa?
- Across 281 live job postings in Iowa that state pay, the median posted offer is $91,728 a year (about $36/hr). The middle half of postings runs $77,500–$112,702, and the top 10% start at $132,912.
- How does Iowa nurse pay compare nationally?
- Iowa's posted median of $91,728 is 4% below the national median ($95,680), ranking #29 of 51 states on the Pay Index right now.
- Where does this data come from?
- Pay stated on live nursing job postings collected continuously by Nursing Mastery, last updated September 10, 2026. These are posted offers, not survey estimates or a promise of what any one nurse will earn. Implausible figures are excluded and small samples are suppressed.
- Do Iowa nursing jobs offer sign-on bonuses?
- 133 live postings in Iowa advertise a sign-on bonus right now, with a median of $10,000 and offers up to $20,000.