Registered Nurses pay in Iowa
$80,540avg. a year
$38.72 an hour · 34,420 employed
Registered Nurses in Iowa earn an average of $80,540 a year. That is $20,880 (21%) less than the U.S. average of $101,420. The best-paying metro area is Omaha, NE-IA at $90,860.
$78,630Median pay
$38.72Average hourly
+29%Avg. pay since 2020
#48Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Iowa metro areas
Average pay for registered nurses by metro area. Swipe to see all 9.
113,200 jobs
Omaha, NE-IA
$90,860
$43.68 an hour
24,090 jobs
Iowa City, IA
$85,670
$41.19 an hour
38,130 jobs
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
$81,710
$39.29 an hour
42,880 jobs
Cedar Rapids, IA
$80,160
$38.54 an hour
51,280 jobs
Dubuque, IA
$79,120
$38.04 an hour
63,520 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$78,800
$37.88 an hour
71,070 jobs
Ames, IA
$76,910
$36.97 an hour
81,890 jobs
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
$76,500
$36.78 an hour
91,600 jobs
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
$75,840
$36.46 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Registered Nurses pay in Iowa, charted
Pay over time
Iowa, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Iowa registered nurses work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Iowa
- Nurse Practitioners$136,940
- Pharmacists$138,340
- Physical Therapists$94,780
- Dental Hygienists$86,640
- Physicians, All Other$273,160
- Speech-Language Pathologists$83,760
Average pay, Iowa, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do registered nurses make in Iowa?
The average is $80,540 a year, and the median is $78,630. That is $20,880 (21%) less than the U.S. average of $101,420.
What is the hourly wage in Iowa?
$38.72 an hour on average; the median is $37.80.
Where in Iowa do they earn the most?
Omaha, NE-IA ($90,860), followed by Iowa City, IA ($85,670). The lowest average among 9 metro areas with data is Sioux City, IA-NE-SD ($75,840).
How does Iowa rank?
Iowa ranks #48 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 29-1141. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national registered nurses page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.