SOC 25-2022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education — Iowa City
Iowa City, IA · 6 metro areas compared
The median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Iowa City, IA is $61,380 per year, close to the national median of $64,370 for the same occupation.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to decline
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- -2.0%
- Openings per year
- 40,500
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Iowa City, IA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Iowa City, IA is $61,380 per year, close to the national median of $64,370 for the same occupation. Half of workers earn between $48,950 and $76,800. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $45,890 and the ninetieth at $80,650.
The area has 410 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.09 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Ames records the highest median at $63,200. Of the 296 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 137th.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $45,890 | −28.7% |
| 25th | $48,950 | −24.0% |
| Median (50th) | $61,380 | −4.6% |
| 75th | $76,800 | +19.3% |
| 90th | $80,650 | +25.3% |
| Mean | $62,610 | −2.7% |
Other metro areas in Iowa
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ames | $63,200 | 250 | |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | $63,040 | 780 | |
| 3 | Davenport | $62,800 | 790 | |
| 4 | Des Moines | $60,980 | 1,150 | |
| 5 | Waterloo | $60,460 | 400 | |
| 6 | Sioux City | $57,900 | 290 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Iowa City run 8.5% below the national average, so the median of $61,380 goes as far as $67,082 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.2% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$61,380as reported by BLSLocal price level
91.5US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$67,082US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $61,380 a year, 4.6% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $45,890 to $80,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 410 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is Ames, at $63,200.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Iowa City, IA?
The median annual wage is $61,380, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $64,370, so pay in Iowa City, IA is 4.6% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Iowa City, IA earns more than $80,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $45,890 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Ames, at $63,200 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 410 jobs in this occupation in Iowa City, IA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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