Ranked by median pay, with jobs and rent share; from BLS and Census data.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
9 metro areas in Iowa publish pay for this occupation with at least 100 jobs, together 37,660 jobs. The three largest employers of registered nurses are Omaha (13,200 jobs), Des Moines-West Des Moines (8,130 jobs), Iowa City (4,090 jobs), which hold 67.5% of those jobs. Median pay across these metros runs from $75,840 to $85,940 a year, against $78,630 for the whole state and $97,550 for the whole country.
BLS reports a national median of $97,550 a year for registered nurses (the lowest-paid tenth earn under $68,940 and the highest-paid tenth over $137,470). Employment is projected to change by +5.6% between 2025 and 2035, with about 180,800 openings a year including replacements. The typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree. Education requirements are BLS's typical ones, not legal rules; many states also license this work, so check the state board before applying.
Higher pay is not the whole story: look at the rent share column (yearly rent divided by median pay) and the price level (100 is the national average). A metro with a lower salary but cheaper housing can leave more money at the end of the month. The location quotient shows where the occupation is concentrated; employers cluster where it is above 1, which usually means more openings and more competition among employers for the same skills.
Registered nurses in Iowa: the highest median pay is in the Iowa City, IA area ($85,940 a year); the most jobs are in the Omaha, NE-IA area (13,200). Statewide the median is $78,630 with 34,420 jobs. Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation are listed; click a column to sort.
| Metropolitan area ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Yearly rent as % of median pay ⇅ | Price level (US = 100) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City, IA | 4,090 | $85,940 | $70,290 | $106,150 | 2.00 | 15% | 91.5 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 13,200 | $84,600 | $69,070 | $112,940 | 1.22 | 17% | 91.9 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 8,130 | $78,630 | $64,680 | $100,500 | 0.93 | 18% | 91.7 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 2,880 | $78,370 | $61,940 | $102,250 | 0.95 | 14% | 89.0 |
| Ames, IA | 1,070 | $77,160 | $64,360 | $99,440 | 0.88 | 16% | 88.8 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 3,520 | $77,150 | $63,650 | $98,610 | 0.90 | 15% | 89.1 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 1,890 | $76,920 | $63,100 | $97,310 | 1.03 | 15% | 87.1 |
| Dubuque, IA | 1,280 | $76,790 | $65,700 | $96,570 | 1.00 | 15% | 87.3 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 1,600 | $75,840 | $62,270 | $96,440 | 0.98 | 16% | 86.5 |
National page: Registered nurses →Cities of Iowa
Rent uses the metro median gross rent (ACS) and appears only for metros that contain a city of this guide. "n/a" means BLS suppressed the figure or we have no rent for that metro.
In the Iowa City, IA area, with a median of $85,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025; metro areas with at least 100 jobs).
In the Omaha, NE-IA area, with 13,200 jobs.