Registered Nurse Salary
Registered Nurses in Iowa make a median of $78,630 a year, or about $37.8 an hour. The range runs from $64K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 88.86), which stretches that salary to about $88,488 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,064/month, or 20.6% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Iowa. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $79K actually covers in Iowa, month by month
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What this looks like in Iowa
Pay for registered nurses in Iowa runs about 19% below the U.S. median of $98K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,064/month, 21.4% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 88.86 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 11% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Lower pay, lower costs, Iowa can be a reasonable trade-off for registered nurses who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Iowa
Entry-level registered nurses (10th percentile) start around $64K. Mid-career wages sit at $79K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $37K spread from bottom to top.
Registered Nurses salary by metro in Iowa
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City | $86K | +9% | 4,090 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $79K | +0% | 8,130 |
| Cedar Rapids | $78K | -0% | 2,880 |
| Ames | $77K | -2% | 1,070 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $77K | -2% | 3,520 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls | $77K | -2% | 1,890 |
| Dubuque | $77K | -2% | 1,280 |
| Sioux City | $76K | -4% | 1,600 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Iowa numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a registered nurse afford a 2BR apartment alone in Iowa?
Yes — at the median salary of $79K, rent takes 21.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,064/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for registered nurses in Iowa?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new registered nurses typically earn — is $64K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,174/month. At HUD’s $1,064/month FMR, rent would take 25% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is registered nurse a high-paying job in Iowa?
Local pay runs 19% below the national median — $79K here vs. $98K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Iowa compare to the national average for registered nurses?
Iowa pays $79K median vs. the U.S. average of $98K — that’s -19%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $88K — below the national median.
How much do registered nurses make in Iowa?
The median is $78,630 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $63,840, and experienced registered nurses can clear $100,500. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $79K enough to live in Iowa?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,970/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,064/month, which eats 21.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a registered nurses salary go in Iowa?
Iowa has a Regional Price Parity of 88.86 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median registered nurses salary is worth about $88,488 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do registered nurses get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.