Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Iowa | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $62,630 | $66,500 | -6% |
| Median hourly wage | $30.11 | $31.97 | -6% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $71,333.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Licensed Practical Nurse in Iowa is $62,630, or about $30.11 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Licensed Practical Nurses is $66,500. Iowa is -6% below the national median.
Entry-level licensed practical nurses in Iowa typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 5,510 licensed practical nurse jobs on record and a median salary of $62,630, Iowa offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, licensed practical nurses rank 291 of the 711 occupations reported in Iowa — higher than 59% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Emergency Medicine Physicians at $429,050, Dermatologists at $424,970, Radiologists at $405,220 — all figures are median annual wages for Iowa.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Iowa levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 90.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, licensed practical nurses rank 291 of the 711 occupations reported in Iowa — higher than 59% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Iowa | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $429,050 | $290 |
| Dermatologists | $424,970 | — |
| Radiologists | $405,220 | $130 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $394,900 | $90 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $370,390 | $110 |
| Obstetricians and Gynecologists | $356,020 | $180 |
Iowa levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 90.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 711 occupations in Iowa.