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Iowa engineer salary

Estimate

Updated March 2025

What engineers earn across Iowa, from published wage data — explore it city by city and discipline by discipline.

Typical pay

$103,087

Iowa

Top earners

$150,321

Higher end

vs national

-14% vs national

U.S. $120,395

Cities

4

in this state

Engineers in Iowa earn a blended median of $103,087 per year, -14% vs national, with top earners near $150,321. That blends 10 engineering occupations across 23,680 published jobs in Iowa. Per-discipline figures below are published wage data, not modeled.

Engineering pay by role in Iowa

Published wage data for each discipline in Iowa. Disciplines without published data for this state are not listed.

20results

Engineering salaries by city in Iowa

Open a city for its full role breakdown — or add a city we don't cover yet.

Top-paying

Des Moines

$114,366

-5% vs national

View Des Moines salaries

Ames

$111,306

-8% vs national

View Ames salaries

Davenport

$103,342

-14% vs national

View Davenport salaries

Waterloo

$103,108

-14% vs national

View Waterloo salaries

Cedar Rapids

$101,244

-16% vs national

View Cedar Rapids salaries

Dubuque

$100,757

-16% vs national

View Dubuque salaries

Sioux City

$100,668

-16% vs national

View Sioux City salaries

Iowa City

$98,524

-18% vs national

View Iowa City salaries

More cities in Iowa

We don't publish a separate estimate for these yet. Use the Iowa estimate above as your starting point — and add your pay to put your city on the map.

Estimate any city
Cedar RapidsDavenportDes MoinesIowa City

Don't see your city? Submit your salary or request a city — new cities appear as engineers contribute.

What affects engineering pay in Iowa

  • ▹Local market. Iowa pay runs -14% vs national for the typical engineer, driven by local demand and living costs.
  • ▹Discipline mix. Software, petroleum, and engineering-management roles pull averages up; civil and environmental roles sit lower. Use the role table above for specifics.
  • ▹Metro concentration. Pay clusters in Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids and other metros, which run above the statewide estimate.
  • ▹Remote & experience.Remote roles often anchor to a company's HQ market rather than Iowa; seniority can swing pay ±35% around the median.

Engineer salaries in Iowa — FAQ

How much do engineers make in Iowa?
Engineers in Iowa earn a blended median of $103,087 per year — 14% below the national average — across 10 engineering occupations and 23,680 jobs. There is no single BLS "engineer" occupation, so this blends the published medians of the engineering occupations reported for the area, weighted by local employment (BLS OEWS May 2024).
What is the highest-paying engineering job in Iowa?
Aerospace Engineers have the highest published median in Iowa, at $150,010 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024.
Is Iowa a good state for engineers?
Engineering pay in Iowa runs 14% below the national average, across 23,680 engineering jobs. Cost of living is often lower to match, so real take-home can still be strong.
Which cities in Iowa pay engineers the most?
Engineering pay is highest in Des Moines ($114,366), Ames ($111,306), and Omaha ($110,992), based on published BLS metro-area wages.
Source details

BLS publishes no single "engineer" occupation. This blends the published medians of 10 engineering occupations in Iowa, weighted by local employment (23,680 jobs).

Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →

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Engineer salary by stateEngineer salary by cityEngineer salary by roleDes Moines engineer salaryDavenport engineer salaryCedar Rapids engineer salary