Registered nurse salary in Iowa
Open registered nurse jobs in Iowa post a median of $40.50 an hour, the middle half $36–$47.50 (about $84,200 a year full time), $8.50 below the national posted median. From 90 jobs at 16 employers that state their pay.
The jobs themselves: Registered nurse jobs in Iowa · Registered nurse pay nationwide
What registered nurses are paid in Iowa
Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).
Posted on open jobs in Iowa
Middle half of 49 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $40.50. 9% of the 971 open registered nurse jobs in Iowa state an hourly rate.
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Registered nurse pay by town in Iowa
Towns where at least three open jobs state an hourly rate, the towns with the most such jobs first.
Median of employers' rates in the town, the lowest and highest rate posted, and the jobs and employers behind them. A town opens its own job page.
Registered nurse pay by employer in Iowa
What each employer posts for registered nurses here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.
Median of each employer's jobs in Iowa (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for registered nurses nationwide when it has such a page.
Jobs that state a yearly salary
Measured on their own, never converted to hourly.
7 open jobs in Iowa state a yearly salary: a median of $93,400, the middle half $84,800 to $100,500.
Best-paid open registered nurse jobs in Iowa
The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

UnityPoint Health · West Des Moines, IA· 1y+ ago
$75/hr
Travel RN - UnityPoint Health (OR)
UnityPoint Health · West Des Moines, IA· 1y+ ago
$70/hr
RN: L&D - Contract - Nights - Ottumwa, IA
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions · Ottumwa, IA· 2w ago
$67.5–$70.2/hr
CommonSpirit Health · Council Bluffs, IA· 2d ago
$30.76–$93.38/hr
RN: Rehab - Contract - Nights - Ottumwa, IA
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions · Ottumwa, IA· 1w ago
$60–$62.4/hr
Registered Nurse (RN) - Per Diem - Tier 2
Select Medical · Des Moines, IA· 3d ago
$57–$60/hr
Registered Nurse (RN) - PRN Day Shift
Select Medical · Davenport, IA· 3d ago
$52.00/hr
Registered Nurse - Field Assessor - Cedar Rapids, IA
UnitedHealth Group · Cedar Rapids, IA· 5mo ago
$41.35–$62.03/hr
Registered Nurse - Right Choice/Internal Resource Pool (PRN)
Great River Health · West Burlington, IA· 9mo ago
$50/hr
CommonSpirit Health · Dunlap, IA· 4d ago
$26.14–$73.73/hr
Clinical Care Transition Educator / RN - Per Diem - Des Moines
Option Care Health · Des Moines, IA· 3w ago
$36.89–$61.49/hr
Inpatient Wound Care and Ostomy - Registered Nurse (RN)
Healogics · Council Bluffs, IA· 3w ago
$40.32–$49.26/hr
What BLS measures in Iowa
What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.
| BLS occupation | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurses (29-1141) | $30.69 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) | $32.83 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) | $37.80 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) | $41.32 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) | $48.32 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) | 34,420 (source: BLS OEWS, Registered Nurses, opens in a new tab) |
BLS median by metro area
- Omaha, NE-IA$40.67/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Omaha, NE-IA, opens in a new tab)
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$37.80/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, opens in a new tab)
- Iowa City, IA$41.32/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Iowa City, IA, opens in a new tab)
- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL$37.09/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, opens in a new tab)
- Cedar Rapids, IA$37.68/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Cedar Rapids, IA, opens in a new tab)
- Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA$36.98/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA, opens in a new tab)
- Sioux City, IA-NE-SD$36.46/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Sioux City, IA-NE-SD, opens in a new tab)
- Dubuque, IA$36.92/hr (source: BLS OEWS, Dubuque, IA, opens in a new tab)
Registered nurse salary in Iowa: common questions
How much does a registered nurse make in Iowa?
Open registered nurse jobs in Iowa that state an hourly rate post a median of $40.50, the middle half $36–$47.50 (90 jobs from 16 employers). Full time that is about $84,200 a year. BLS measured a median of $37.80/hr ($78,630 a year) for people employed in the occupation in Iowa (May 2025).
Where in Iowa do registered nurses earn the most?
By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: West Burlington ($38), Council Bluffs ($44.75), West Union ($39) and West Des Moines ($70). The town table lists 11.
Which employers in Iowa pay registered nurses the most?
Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: UnityPoint Health ($65), CommonSpirit Health ($45.25) and Sanford Health ($40).
How does Iowa compare with the rest of the country?
The posted median in Iowa ($40.50) is $8.50 below the national posted median of $49. In the BLS survey Iowa ranks 48 of 52 by median wage.
Where do these figures come from?
From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 90 of 971 open registered nurse jobs in Iowa (9%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.
Registered nurse pay in other states
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- Hawaii
- Alaska
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- Utah
- New Mexico
- District of Columbia
- New Hampshire
- Colorado
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Georgia
- Texas
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Florida
- Tennessee
- Louisiana
- Delaware
- Arizona
- Kentucky
- Nevada
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
- Montana
- Maryland
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Vermont
- North Carolina
- Maine
- Alabama
- Missouri
- Indiana
- Nebraska
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Wyoming
- South Dakota
Sources and method
- CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141), every state, published May 15, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses, national, published May 15, 2026
- BLS OEWS May 2025: Registered Nurses by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026
Cite this page
CareJobs.Now. (2026). Registered nurse salary in Iowa. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/registered-nurse/iowa