State IA
Period May 2025
Price level 87.8
Data updated October 25, 2026

Highest-paying jobs in Iowa

The highest published median in Iowa is for emergency medicine physicians, at $429,050 a year. For 2 more occupations, BLS reports the median only as “$239,200 or more”; they are listed below the table. The median for all occupations in the state is $48,540, against $50,980 nationally.

Iowa · all occupationsMay 2025

Median / yr: $48,540
Mean / yr: $59,830
Price level (U.S.=100): 87.8
Median, price-adjusted: $55,309
Adjusted rank: 12 of 51
Jobs: 1,559,240

Price-adjusted = median ÷ (BEA 2024 regional price parity ÷ 100). Compare all states.

The 50 best-paid occupations in Iowa

IA · Src BLS-OEWS · May 2025Top 50 of 709

Top 50 occupations in Iowa by median annual wage
No.	Occupation	Median in IA	U.S. median	Employed in IA
1	Emergency Medicine Physicians	$429,050	$335,550	290
2	Dermatologists	$424,970	$328,730	—
3	Radiologists	$405,220	$420,860	130
4	Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$394,900	$300,080	90
5	Surgeons, All Other	$370,390	$414,010	110
6	Obstetricians and Gynecologists	$356,020	$292,910	180
7	Physicians, Pathologists	$323,460	$312,400	80
8	Psychiatrists	$295,270	$281,870	170
9	Physicians, All Other	$295,190	$265,930	1,440
10	Cardiologists	$283,070	$496,010	100
11	Nurse Anesthetists	$273,070	$236,590	380
12	Family Medicine Physicians	$265,200	$244,180	1,140
13	Pediatricians, General	$262,440	$210,040	230
14	Chief Executives	$211,190	$213,990	3,050
15	Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric	$189,410	$358,550	260
16	Dentists, General	$181,520	$170,950	1,240
17	Physicists	$178,110	$172,250	110
18	Law Teachers, Postsecondary	$160,700	$128,500	90
19	Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates	$147,510	$153,990	410
20	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$147,320	$171,270	1,520
21	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$143,780	$175,140	3,920
22	Pharmacists	$138,860	$140,910	3,230
23	Psychologists, All Other	$138,420	$110,840	60
24	Podiatrists	$134,830	$160,300	100
25	Physician Assistants	$134,770	$135,880	1,200
26	Sales Managers	$134,010	$148,270	3,260
27	Financial Managers	$133,320	$166,570	9,130
28	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$131,730	$232,140	100
29	Nurse Midwives	$131,360	$134,040	80
30	Marketing Managers	$131,120	$166,790	2,210
31	Nurse Practitioners	$130,160	$132,300	3,240
32	Actuaries	$128,690	$130,000	530
33	Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	$128,490	$107,310	3,230
34	Managers, All Other	$128,080	$141,900	3,600
35	Human Resources Managers	$126,370	$149,280	1,620
36	Optometrists	$125,380	$136,570	450
37	Computer Hardware Engineers	$125,120	$161,740	130
38	Veterinarians	$124,610	$130,100	1,000
39	Database Architects	$124,040	$139,500	240
40	Lawyers	$123,550	$159,670	3,550
41	Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers	$123,500	$117,860	80
42	General Internal Medicine Physicians	$122,920	$256,560	380
43	Purchasing Managers	$121,580	$148,080	610
44	Public Relations Managers	$120,730	$146,910	630
45	Information Security Analysts	$119,710	$129,180	1,160
46	Compensation and Benefits Managers	$118,250	$149,230	120
47	Chemical Engineers	$117,590	$125,040	40
48	Administrative Services Managers	$116,920	$114,130	1,380
49	Transportation Inspectors	$116,850	$92,100	60
50	Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	$115,300	$109,910	90

Median reported only as “$239,200 or more” in Iowa: Anesthesiologists, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. The exact figures are not published, so these are not ranked.

Dashes mean the employment estimate was not published.

Best-paid occupations with at least 1,000 jobs in Iowa

Physicians, All Other — $295,190 (1,440 jobs)
Family Medicine Physicians — $265,200 (1,140 jobs)
Chief Executives — $211,190 (3,050 jobs)
Dentists, General — $181,520 (1,240 jobs)
Architectural and Engineering Managers — $147,320 (1,520 jobs)
Computer and Information Systems Managers — $143,780 (3,920 jobs)
Pharmacists — $138,860 (3,230 jobs)
Physician Assistants — $134,770 (1,200 jobs)
Sales Managers — $134,010 (3,260 jobs)
Financial Managers — $133,320 (9,130 jobs)

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state file.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state, 2024.