Insights / Healthcare pay below the U.S. median / Iowa
5 healthcare jobs where pay in Iowa lags the U.S. median
Hold Iowa Registered Nurses to $78,630 so the huddle hears the cell.
Send Iowa Registered Nurses out $97,550 rather than a statewide average.
Bring Iowa and Technicians in $65,930 so finance sees the same cell.
Move Iowa and Technicians toward $80,110 so the handoff names the cell.
Each occupation
1Registered Nurses
- State median
- $78,630
- U.S. median
- $97,550
- State vs U.S.
- 0.81
2Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
- State median
- $65,930
- U.S. median
- $80,110
- State vs U.S.
- 0.82
3Speech-Language Pathologists
- State median
- $81,050
- U.S. median
- $97,870
- State vs U.S.
- 0.83
4Phlebotomists
- State median
- $38,240
- U.S. median
- $45,230
- State vs U.S.
- 0.85
5Dental Hygienists
- State median
- $84,010
- U.S. median
- $98,100
- State vs U.S.
- 0.86
Ranked table
Swipe the table sideways. The same figures are in the blocks above.
| Rank | Occupation | State median | U.S. median | State vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registered Nurses | $78,630 | $97,550 | 0.81 |
| 2 | Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $65,930 | $80,110 | 0.82 |
| 3 | Speech-Language Pathologists | $81,050 | $97,870 | 0.83 |
| 4 | Phlebotomists | $38,240 | $45,230 | 0.85 |
| 5 | Dental Hygienists | $84,010 | $98,100 | 0.86 |
Takeaways
- Cite Iowa Speech-Language Pathologists $81,050 while the draft is still open.
- Cite Iowa Speech-Language Pathologists $97,870 and the req stops guessing.
- Log Iowa Phlebotomists as $38,240 before the screen gets longer.
- Cite Iowa Phlebotomists at $45,230 while the role is still unposted.
For recruiters
- List Iowa Dental Hygienists at $84,010 and nobody swaps in a national midpoint.
- Start Iowa Registered Nurses from $78,630 inside the Hiring Pack before you post.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Related hiring pages
Methodology
An occupation is included only when the Iowa OEWS median is at most 0.97 times the U.S. median for the same occupation. The 5 lowest comparisons are shown. States with fewer than 5 such occupations are omitted, rather than filled with occupations at or above the U.S. median. OEWS May 2025. Sorted by the lowest comparison, Iowa is 16 of 31. A row links to the Iowa metro page with the highest public market difficulty score for that occupation when one is published, and otherwise to the occupation page on the hiring grid. An unpublished percentile or employment count is shown as unpublished rather than replaced with a zero. The wages are annual OEWS figures. They are not job listings and they are not an employer's current offer. Read the comparison beside the dollar figures: a high state wage can still sit under the national median for that occupation, and a lower state wage can still sit above it. Rounded figures in the prose: $78,630 is stated as about $78.6K. $97,550 is stated as about $97.6K. a comparison of 0.81 is stated as 19 percent. $84,010 is stated as about $84.0K. $98,100 is stated as about $98.1K. a comparison of 0.86 is stated as 14 percent.
Sources
A Hiring Pack starts from the role and the city on the req.
First Hiring Pack free.
Then Was $24Now $0.99 per req report.
Or Was $149Now $19.99/month unlimited.