Nurse practitioner salary in Iowa

Keep the role definition in view

Iowa: physicians, all other — broad BLS category · Iowa: nurse practitioner pay — median $130,160 · Iowa: physician assistant pay — median $134,770 · Iowa: nurse anesthetist pay — median $273,070

These links hold geography constant while changing the occupation. The NP estimate on this page is not an interchangeable benchmark for another role. The physician link uses “physicians, all other,” a broad BLS category rather than a particular specialty average. Compare each published measure on its own terms; a difference between roles does not explain why employers pay differently.

The land-border wage comparison

Look outward from Iowa to the adjoining jurisdictions below, keeping the nurse practitioner wage measure constant.

Among the displayed bordering jurisdictions, Minnesota has the highest listed median, $133,260; South Dakota has the lowest, $128,840. Iowa itself records $130,160.

Only bordering jurisdictions with an existing page and a usable median are displayed. Land and river borders count; open-water-only borders and corner-only contacts do not. These statewide estimates do not isolate a border town, commuting distance, local employer or specialty. Follow each state link for the original wage snapshot and its precision measures.

Practice readiness for a Iowa offer

Iowa's ARNP licensing page requires recognized advanced national certification and says clinicians must be licensed in all the population foci they serve. It distinguishes ARNP approval from the Iowa controlled-substance and federal DEA registrations required for controlled substances, including Iowa requirements for remote prescribing to Iowa patients. Verify the population and medication duties for the actual NP job rather than assuming one broad ARNP title covers every clinic assignment.

Iowa official NP practice or licensing resource

• Review the state-specific instruction with the hiring office and ask which part applies to the proposed position.
• Have the employer confirm the clinical scope, licensing status and privilege checks for the real work site.
• Before reserving time, request the unresolved orientation and access items alongside the pay, expenses and coverage terms.

This note retains the state-specific information already cited on this NP page. It does not infer additional practice authority, compact eligibility, approvals or a completion date. The wage comparison and the board process answer different questions.

Putting Iowa on the state list

For Iowa, the employee-wage midpoint corresponds to 32nd of 51 jurisdictions (50 states and DC) in the nurse practitioner group.

Rank is one plus the number of published state medians higher than this median; tied values share a rank. Missing state estimates are excluded. This orders employee-wage midpoints, not job quality, purchasing power or the pay offered to a particular clinician.

the national BLS OEWS May 2025 NP median records $132,300. Relative to that benchmark, Iowa stands $2,140 below (1.62%).

Calculation: $130,160 minus $132,300 = -$2,140; divide the absolute dollar difference by $132,300 and multiply by 100 for 1.62%.

The closest positions in the descending state list are shown below; at either end, both comparators are on the same side. These are rank neighbors, not necessarily geographic neighbors.

Maine (rank 31) records $130,260. Relative to that benchmark, Iowa stands $100 below (0.08%).

Calculation: $130,160 minus $130,260 = -$100; divide the absolute dollar difference by $130,260 and multiply by 100 for 0.08%.

Pennsylvania (rank 33) records $130,140. Relative to that benchmark, Iowa stands $20 above (0.02%).

Calculation: $130,160 minus $130,140 = $20; divide the absolute dollar difference by $130,140 and multiply by 100 for 0.02%.

Source: the existing national NP guide and the linked state tables reproduce BLS OEWS May 2025 employee-wage estimates. Compare median with median; the national mean already discussed on this page remains a different statistic.

The published wage benchmark

BLS reports an annual mean wage of $136,940 and annual median wage of $130,160 for nurse practitioners in Iowa. The hourly mean is $65.84; the hourly median is $62.58. These are employee wage estimates, not quoted contract rates. Employment estimate: 3,240. That is an estimated job count, not open jobs or a count of available clinicians.

Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS area data

National comparison

The national mean for this occupation is $137,300. Compare it as a separate national benchmark, not a prediction of your offer.

What the Iowa numbers mean for a NP offer

Iowa's NP annual mean is $360 below the published national NP mean of $137,300, a 0.3% difference between employee-wage estimates. Its mean is $6,780 above its median. The wage relative standard error is 1.4%. RSE describes estimate precision, not the spread between individual offers. In the Iowa row for nurse practitioners, $130,160 is the median annual employee wage and $136,940 is the mean. The employment estimate is 3,240 employee jobs, not current vacancies. Mean and median are different measures, not the ends of a salary range. These are employee wage estimates, not offers or total compensation.

NP practice and first-shift checks in Iowa

Iowa's ARNP licensing page requires recognized advanced national certification and says clinicians must be licensed in all the population foci they serve. It distinguishes ARNP approval from the Iowa controlled-substance and federal DEA registrations required for controlled substances, including Iowa requirements for remote prescribing to Iowa patients. Verify the population and medication duties for the actual NP job rather than assuming one broad ARNP title covers every clinic assignment.

• Confirm that the written duties fit your experience, practice arrangement and facility privileges.
• Identify the owner of each remaining board, credentialing and orientation step.
• Compare the actual paid schedule, expenses and coverage, not an assumed local market range.

Iowa official NP practice or licensing resource

What this data does and does not measure

OEWS includes full-time and part-time employees and does not include self-employed workers. Annual wage estimates generally use a 2,080-hour year; do not treat them as a part-time worker's actual yearly earnings. The mean is the average; the median is the midpoint. BLS publishes each rounded estimate separately, so use the published values rather than multiplying a rounded hourly wage. The occupation-level table does not provide a pay split for telemedicine, locum tenens, per diem or consulting. BLS uses the occupation name "Nurse Practitioners" (SOC 29-1171). It does not separate this row by population certification or NP specialty.

Sources: BLS OEWS frequently asked questions

How precise is the estimate?

Employment relative standard error: 4.8%. Wage relative standard error: 1.4%. RSE measures estimate precision; a smaller RSE means a more precise survey estimate.

Pay is one part of the job

Ask what work is included, who owns onboarding and what has to clear before the first shift. Keep your licenses and credentials current in one Saile profile, then check the app for relevant work.

Turn a salary benchmark into a useful offer comparison

Start with the published mean and median above, then compare the actual work rather than treating a wage estimate as a guaranteed offer. For NP work, ask about population focus, patient acuity, visit volume, prescribing duties, clinical backup and the practice settings covered. A wage category does not determine your scope or readiness.

• Write down the patient scope, paid schedule, nights and call you are agreeing to cover.
• Ask which orientation, charting, messages, travel and administrative tasks are paid.
• Compare benefits, expenses, malpractice coverage, cancellation and exit terms beside the pay unit.
• Get the remaining licensing, privileges, orientation and system-access steps and their owners before committing a first shift.

Where to look and what to ask next

Check direct facility career pages and the Saile app for current opportunities. Search your role with the setting and schedule you want, such as temporary coverage, per diem or part-time. A published salary estimate is not evidence of a live vacancy. Ask the hiring team for the actual scope, dates and written terms before reserving your time.

Employee wages are not contractor take-home pay

The BLS figure excludes self-employed workers. For federal employment taxes, the IRS considers control and the relationship, not only the contract label. Self-employed individuals generally pay income and self-employment tax and may need estimated payments. Keep payment and expense records and take your actual arrangement to a tax professional; do not subtract a generic percentage and call it take-home pay.

Sources: IRS: Independent contractor or employee · IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center

Compare the work, not just the benchmark

Sources

• BLS May 2025 OEWS area data
• BLS OEWS frequently asked questions
• IRS: Independent contractor or employee
• IRS: Self-employed individuals tax center
• Iowa official NP practice or licensing resource

Data period: May 2025. Published May 15, 2026.

Related guides

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