Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA

Table 1 compares the top 100 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA, ranked by annual average salary. For each job, the table displays the number of employees with that job, as well as the job's entry-level salary. (The entry-level salary is calculated based on the 10% of paid workers with the lowest salaries.)

Based on the table, we see that the highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA are those of general dentist, with an average annual salary of $163,810. The second highest-paying jobs are those of chief executive, with an average salary of $163,040.

All of the shown salary and employment information for Iowa City, IA has been computed using data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in April 2023. Notably, the highest-paying occupations change from year to year. Tables 2, 3, and 4 show the top 10 highest-paying occupations in Iowa City, IA in 2021, 2020, and 2019.

Table 1. Top 100 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA (2022 survey)

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	No. of Empl i
1	General Dentists	$163,810	$99,830	50
2	Chief Executives	$163,040	$45,700	150
3	Pharmacists	$131,850	$107,810	370
4	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$129,110	$102,470	30
5	Postsecondary Mathematical Science Teachers	$128,620	$76,460	80
6	Sales Managers	$126,980	$65,310	80
7	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$126,300	$81,650	200
8	Physician Assistants	$125,240	$107,410	320
9	Nurse Practitioners	$121,820	$104,960	270
10	Marketing Managers	$113,830	$74,710	90
11	Computer Network Architects	$108,800	$83,910	50
12	Public Relations Managers	$106,790	$82,970	50
13	Lawyers	$105,790	$61,450	140
14	Human Resources Managers	$104,120	$75,090	100
15	Postsecondary Education Administrators	$103,080	$61,560	380
16	Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators	$101,990	$58,010	140
17	Financial Managers	$101,700	$62,860	450
18	Purchasing Managers	$101,320	$58,240	30
19	Postsecondary Psychology Teachers	$101,020	$81,480	70
20	Medical and Health Services Managers	$100,270	$75,490	580
21	Industrial Production Managers	$98,640	$73,760	160
22	Web Developers	$98,110	$32,690	50
23	All Other Managers	$94,390	$60,590	160
24	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	$93,210	$64,130	40
25	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$92,090	$53,240	70
26	Construction Managers	$92,050	$57,650	90
27	First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$91,970	$73,430	70
28	Database Administrators	$88,120	$64,170	40
29	Personal Financial Advisors	$87,950	$47,230	100
30	Veterinarians	$86,640	$54,140	40
31	Software Developers	$85,520	$64,900	790
32	Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers	$84,480	$51,220	90
33	Physical Therapists	$84,190	$63,640	180
34	Industrial Engineers	$83,430	$57,410	60
35	Network and Computer Systems Administrators	$83,140	$62,920	290
36	All Other Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners	$81,770	$67,100	180
37	Computer Programmers	$81,400	$59,960	40
38	Civil Engineers	$81,380	$60,130	130
39	Information Security Analysts	$81,350	$50,930	30
40	Administrative Services Managers	$81,150	$63,320	80
41	Facilities Managers	$80,480	$66,500	130
42	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	$80,410	$60,990	60
43	Health Information Technologists and Medical Registrars	$80,400	$47,320	30
44	Natural Sciences Managers	$80,190	$67,200	90
45	Project Management Specialists	$80,070	$49,820	400
46	Mechanical Engineers	$79,780	$61,590	40
47	Occupational Therapists	$79,620	$57,900	100
48	Computer Systems Analysts	$79,530	$51,390	170
49	Statisticians	$79,350	$40,760	40
50	Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	$79,350	$62,400	850
51	Other Postsecondary Teachers	$79,270	$30,180	60
52	Web and Digital Interface Designers	$78,730	$49,340	70
53	Engineers, All Other	$77,670	$51,340	70
54	Dental Hygienists	$77,670	$64,830	160
55	Data Scientists	$77,650	$45,730	90
56	Chemists	$76,480	$59,230	110
57	Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists	$75,850	$52,600	60
58	Speech-Language Pathologists	$75,380	$58,350	110
59	Instructional Coordinators	$75,340	$48,790	330
60	Environmental Scientists and Health Specialists	$73,470	$55,080	40
61	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	$72,820	$60,380	40
62	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	$72,490	$48,520	100
63	General and Operations Managers	$72,090	$33,980	1,740
64	Management Analysts	$70,690	$44,320	260
65	Budget Analysts	$68,410	$52,600	70
66	First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers	$67,960	$44,200	230
67	Compliance Officers	$67,320	$48,270	150
68	Construction and Building Inspectors	$66,370	$54,990	70
69	Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers	$66,120	$45,510	50
70	Registered Nurses	$66,000	$62,170	4,250
71	Training and Development Specialists	$65,870	$39,540	190
72	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$65,510	$48,450	410
73	Diagnostic Medical Sonographers	$65,480	$65,480	70
74	Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$65,460	$33,530	270
75	Respiratory Therapists	$65,420	$52,100	160
76	Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers	$64,790	$38,490	50
77	Dietitians and Nutritionists	$64,750	$51,070	80
78	Healthcare Social Workers	$64,720	$50,830	150
79	Food Service Managers	$64,170	$41,730	80
80	Loan Officers	$64,120	$46,060	120
81	Accountants and Auditors	$64,030	$45,740	700
82	Public Relations Specialists	$63,270	$40,680	190
83	Human Resources Specialists	$63,160	$40,320	440
84	Computer Network Support Specialists	$63,060	$51,230	280
85	Other Engineering Technicians	$62,930	$49,630	40
86	Other Business Operations Specialists	$62,920	$46,090	1,000
87	Civil Engineering Technicians	$62,730	$42,120	40
88	Other Biological Scientists	$62,440	$51,260	80
89	Insurance Sales Agents	$62,140	$37,200	260
90	Chiropractors	$62,130	$19,480	40
91	Other Financial Specialists	$62,000	$42,840	40
92	Technical Writers	$61,990	$41,270	40
93	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$61,760	$29,990	60
94	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	$61,750	$41,490	530
95	Medical Records Specialists	$61,380	$46,680	370
96	Wholesale and Manufacturing (Except Technical and Scientific Products) Sales Representatives	$61,360	$37,680	560
97	Electricians	$61,350	$36,690	270
98	Industrial Machinery Mechanics	$61,270	$44,950	150
99	Social and Community Service Managers	$61,110	$43,650	230
100	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education	$60,760	$37,230	720

Table 2. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA – 2021 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	General Dentists	$165,410
2	Chief Executives	$163,040
3	Postsecondary Health Specialties Teachers	$158,450
4	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$132,110
5	Pharmacists	$129,770
6	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$125,090
7	Postsecondary Psychology Teachers	$123,630
8	Budget Analysts	$122,660
9	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$122,070
10	Physician Assistants	$121,470

Table 3. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA – 2020 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Psychiatrists	$169,870
2	Chief Executives	$165,990
3	Pharmacists	$120,330
4	Physician Assistants	$117,260
5	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$116,170
6	Nurse Practitioners	$115,240
7	Architectural and Engineering Managers	$113,650
8	Budget Analysts	$105,880
9	Human Resources Managers	$105,300
10	Sales Managers	$104,170

Table 4. Top 10 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City, IA – 2019 survey

Rank	Job Description	Average Salary i
1	Psychiatrists	$190,280
2	Optometrists	$123,310
3	Pharmacists	$119,170
4	All Other Physicians; and Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric	$118,670
5	Physician Assistants	$116,240
6	Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Sales Representatives	$116,240
7	Nurse Practitioners	$115,370
8	Computer and Information Systems Managers	$111,490
9	Other Psychologists	$107,620
10	Natural Sciences Managers	$104,690

Also see The most popular jobs in Iowa City, IA.

Also see The most popular jobs in Iowa, The top paying jobs in Iowa.