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State profile · NCES F-33 FY2023

Teacher Salary in Iowa

Iowa's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (1.75x) ranks #38 of 47, lower-third dispersion. According to the NCES Common Core of Data finance survey, estimated teacher pay and per-pupil spending are available for every public school district in Iowa.

$63,660
Est. state avg salary

Below benchmark

-9.4%
vs national
#30
National rank
327
Districts

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$63,660/year (est.)

Iowa's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (1.75x) ranks #38 of 47, lower-third dispersion. Estimated average teacher salary is $63,660, below the national average of $70,245, ranking #30 of 49, across 303 public school districts with reliable data (NCES CCD F-33, FY2023).

  • Tight district pay band: Iowa's top-to-bottom district pay ratio (1.75x) ranks #38 of 47, lower-third dispersion.
  • middle third nationally (#30 of 49)
  • Iowa ranks #30 of 49 on the salary estimate and #29 of 49 on enrollment in the same reliable-district pool.
  • $35,299 spread between its highest- and lowest-paying districts
  • -9.4% vs the national average
  • +9.0% estimated-basis panel FY2019→FY2023 (balanced cohort, not the FTE average above)
  • #23 of 49 purchasing-power-adjusted (BEA RPP 88.8)

How do price levels change Iowa's national position?

Within the enrollment-weighted state comparison, the nominal F-33 estimate is $67,736 and ranks #31. Applying the BEA 2023 Regional Price Parity (88.8, US=100) produces a relative purchasing-power figure of $76,306 and rank #23: 8-place lift.

This is a separate, enrollment-weighted state-level price comparison; the headline and main state-salary rank use an unweighted district mean. Neither measure is take-home pay, a district cost-of-living budget, or an individual contract offer.

Iowa's purchasing-power rank moves 8-place lift

Iowa's nominal average teacher salary ranks #30 of the 49 states and territories that report teacher salaries. Adjusted by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2023 Regional Price Parity (88.8, US = 100, a relative state-level price-level index, not a district or metro cost-of-living figure), the estimate becomes $76,306, ranking #23 of 49 , 7 places higher than the nominal rank once relative price levels are factored in. This purchasing-power view is not published by NEA's teacher-pay rankings or the aggregator sites; it comes from combining our own F-33-derived salary estimate with BEA's public RPP series. See the full 51-state release for methodology and download. BEA Regional Price Parities · NCES CCD F-33

Iowa in the teacher-salary distribution

FY2023 estimated state averages from the same NCES-derived ranking

$63,660 39th percentile higher than 39% of 49 reporting states and territories

Show national distribution $0–$5,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $5,000–$10,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $10,000–$15,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $15,000–$20,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$25,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$30,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $30,000–$35,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $35,000–$40,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Below this entry. $40,000–$45,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Below this entry. $45,000–$50,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Below this entry. $50,000–$55,000: 6 reporting states and territories (12%). Below this entry. $55,000–$60,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Below this entry. $60,000–$65,000: 9 reporting states and territories (18%). This entry sits in this band. $65,000–$70,000: 7 reporting states and territories (14%). Above this entry. $70,000–$75,000: 2 reporting states and territories (4%). Above this entry. $75,000–$80,000: 4 reporting states and territories (8%). Above this entry. $80,000–$85,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $85,000–$90,000: 5 reporting states and territories (10%). Above this entry. $90,000–$95,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $95,000–$100,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $100,000–$105,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $105,000–$110,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $110,000–$115,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. $115,000–$120,000: 0 reporting states and territories (0%). Above this entry. $120,000–$125,000: 1 reporting states and territories (2%). Above this entry. Iowa $0 $125,000 reporting state salary estimates, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $5K-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting states and territories. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey; state estimates derived from reported instructional-salary expenditure and teacher FTE · FY2023

Iowa's comparable salary trend

Same reporting-district cohort, FY2019-FY2023

FY2023 estimated average
$71,774 8.992914635821283% vs FY2019
323 districts held in the panel
$64,000$66,000$68,000$70,000$72,000$74,000 FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023 Iowa est. avg teacher salary, FY2019: $65,852Iowa est. avg teacher salary, FY2020: $66,408Iowa est. avg teacher salary, FY2021: $69,206Iowa est. avg teacher salary, FY2022: $71,272Iowa est. avg teacher salary, FY2023: $71,774 $65,852 $71,774 ▲ +9.0%
Read the chart as text
Period Iowa est. avg teacher salary
FY2019 $65,852
FY2020 $66,408
FY2021 $69,206
FY2022 $71,272
FY2023 $71,774

Highest-paying districts in Iowa

Estimated average teacher salary, enrolling districts (200+ students)

Est. avg salary

What this shows Linn-Mar Comm School District leads Iowa on the F-33 instructional-salary estimate. Service entities (CTCs, county offices) are excluded, their enrollment-based ratios are not reliable salary figures.

Source NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, FY2023 As of FY2023

Top 3 districts

1 $82,552

Linn-Mar Comm School District

Est. avg teacher salary
2 $80,168

Iowa City Comm School District

Est. avg teacher salary
3 $78,487

Gilbert Comm School District

Est. avg teacher salary

Districts by Estimated Teacher Salary

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment Per-Pupil Exp
West Bend-Mallard Comm School District $47,506 395 $14,322
Manson Northwest Webster Comm School District $47,411 779 $14,462
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District $47,253 386 $59,531

Showing 301–303 of 303 enrolling districts. Specialized non-enrolling agencies (career/technical centers, county offices, service co-ops) are excluded from the salary ranking, their enrollment-based estimates are not reliable.

Lowest-Paying Districts in Iowa

District Est. Avg Salary Enrollment
Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District $47,253 386
Manson Northwest Webster Comm School District $47,411 779
West Bend-Mallard Comm School District $47,506 395
Springville Comm School District $47,958 438
Murray Comm School District $48,629 298
Waco Comm School District $50,258 505
Keota Comm School District $50,396 321
Cardinal Comm School District $50,651 1,074
CAM Comm School District $50,987 1,441
Lone Tree Comm School District $51,115 428

Among enrolling districts (200+ students) with a reliable estimate; service entities excluded, see methodology.

Nationwide states with similar K-12 scale to Iowa

Two nationwide peer sets for Iowa: closest on estimated average teacher salary ($63,660 here) and closest on total student enrollment (504,580 here). Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not geographic containment.

Similar estimated salary

Nearest other states by unweighted district-mean teacher pay (F-33 derived, ≥5 districts with reliable estimates).

Similar enrollment

Nearest other states by NCES-reported K-12 enrollment. Salary peers above are excluded.

Compare Nearby-Ranked States

South Carolina
$64,775
Rank #27
Colorado
$64,442
Rank #28
Arizona
$63,921
Rank #29
Nebraska
$63,159
Rank #31

Data: NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey + Staff Universe Survey, FY2023. Salary figures divide instructional expenditure (variable Z33) by each district's reported teacher FTE, or an estimated FTE for the small minority with no reported figure. Not individual salary data. Read our methodology.

Iowa teacher salary FAQ

What is the average teacher salary in Iowa?

Across 303 Iowa public school districts with reliable data, the average teacher salary is $63,660 (NCES CCD F-33 reported teacher salaries divided by CCD Staff Universe Survey teacher headcounts, FY2023). It is a district-level mean derived from finance filings, so it will not match a contract-salary survey exactly, read it as a relative comparison.

Which Iowa school district pays teachers the most?

Linn-Mar Comm School District reports the highest average teacher salary in Iowa at $82,552, while Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District sits at the lower end at $47,253.

How does Iowa teacher pay compare to the national average?

Iowa's average of $63,660 is below the national average of $70,245 (-9.4%), ranking #30 of the 49 jurisdictions with a reliable district estimate.

How many school districts are in Iowa?

Iowa has 327 public school districts in the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey, together serving 504,580 students.

How much do teachers make in Iowa?

District-average teacher pay in Iowa sits in a comparatively narrow band, from $47,253 in Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Comm School District to $82,552 in Linn-Mar Comm School District. With that little district-to-district spread the statewide figure is a reasonable guide to what most districts pay. These are district-wide averages from NCES CCD F-33 (FY2023), not individual salaries or pay-scale steps.

Can teachers earn $100,000 in Iowa?

No Iowa district with reliable data reports an estimated average teacher salary at or above $100,000; the state's highest is Linn-Mar Comm School District at $82,552. This is a district-wide average, not an individual salary, step, or years-of-experience figure.

How does Iowa rank after adjusting for cost of living?

Within the separate enrollment-weighted state comparison, BEA's 2023 Regional Price Parity (88.8, US=100) adjusts Iowa's nominal estimate of $67,736 from #31 to $76,306 and #23. The headline uses an unweighted district mean, so this does not replace it. Neither measure is take-home pay, taxes, or district/metro cost of living.

Explore Iowa

Disclaimer & data sources

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainTeacher for Iowa