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Hire a Registered Nurse in Waterloo, IA
A clinic that copies a national midpoint will lose a nurse who can already take a full assignment. Use the median when you can train, and the 75th when you need someone on the schedule in week one. The 75th percentile in Waterloo is about $82.8K.
What to offer
Price the offer from this metro's row, not from a national midpoint you pasted into the posting. The 75th is what experienced nurses already clear here. If you need someone who can take patients on week one, the median is the wrong anchor.
| Percentile | Metro | IA | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $64,640 | $68,290 | $80,330 |
| Median | $76,920 | $78,630 | $97,550 |
| 75th | $82,780 | $85,940 | $112,350 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
How hard this is to fill
For one manager
You are filling one chair in one clinic, one home-health team, or one nursing home. Ask for a license in this state, or a multistate license where the compact is actually on, and ask what they did on a shift like yours.
Look for a license in good standing, the setting they just left, and whether they have given the medications your patients actually take. Say out loud if you want a bachelor's degree. The degree does not replace the license.
License and training
Iowa was the only board whose 2024 RN response landed above 30 hours, and child abuse was one of the named topics. Multistate practice there dates to January 19, 2018.
Sources: Nurse Licensure Compact, participating jurisdictions and the 60-day move rule NLC implementation dates by jurisdiction NCSBN 2024 licensure survey, continued competency questions 95 through 103 BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, registered nurses, duties and licensure path New York State Education Department, BSN in 10 law North Dakota Board of Nursing, licensure by examination and the 90-day graduate work authorization
Nearby metros
- Cedar Rapids, IA · 50 miles
- Ames, IA · 72 miles
- Iowa City, IA · 72 miles
- Dubuque, IA · 84 miles
Related roles
- Hire a CNA in Waterloo
- Hire a Medical Assistant in Waterloo
- Hire a Pharmacy Technician in Waterloo
- Hire a Phlebotomist in Waterloo
Job seekers: Registered Nurse jobs in Waterloo.
Registered Nurses hiring pages
Questions
What do registered nurses earn in Waterloo, IA?
In Waterloo, the May 2025 median is about $76.9K, 21% under the U.S. median. The state's own median is about $78.6K. Read the 25th and the 75th on the table before you treat the middle as the offer.
Who hires registered nurses in Waterloo?
That list is the provider extract, not every door in Waterloo. A one-site clinic is still hiring against the hospital's schedule.
What license do I need to work in Iowa?
You need a Iowa license, or a multistate license if Iowa has implemented the compact and that license is your home-state license. The state section on this page is the sourced rule. Confirm it with the board before you book a start date in Waterloo.
Should a small clinic in Waterloo offer the median?
Offer the median when you want the middle of the Waterloo workforce and you can train. If you need someone who already carries a full assignment, look at $82.8K, the 75th on this page. National growth for registered nurses is 5.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 180.8 thousand openings a year, and that figure is the country, not Waterloo.