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1 / 50#50. Healthcare diagnosing or treating practitioners, all other
- Median annual wage: $85,920
- Median hourly wage: $41.31
- Total employment: 210 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Iowa City
Despite recession fears and falling consumer confidence, the job market in the United States has remained relatively stable in 2025 thus far. According to May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics data, around 177,000 new jobs were added in April, a slight decrease from the 185,000 new jobs added in the month before, but an extension of the country's 52-month streak of job growth. Unemployment rates also held relatively steady between April 2024 and April 2025, coming in at around 4%.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean Americans have it easy in the workplace. A December 2024 Payscale report found that nearly half (47%) of business organizations struggle to balance fair pay practices with spend optimization, and 18% plan to reduce pay increases in 2025 as a result.
For context, median weekly earnings across all employees in the U.S. stood at $1,194 in the first quarter of 2025. This represents an increase of 4.8% from a year prior and exceeds the Consumer Price Index's 2.7% increase in the same time period. However, there's one caveat: Earnings go much further in some places than in others.
In fact, the very definition of a "high-paying" job varies by location, as well as other factors such as industry and benefits. Even a six-figure salary may be considered low-income in places with an unusually high cost of living. Meanwhile, technology, finance, and health care jobs lead in terms of salary, but benefits like remote work can make other lower-paying jobs more desirable.
Regardless, anyone seeking a high-paying job should start by looking at the numbers. Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 highest-paying jobs in Iowa City. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 50#49. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $86,090
- Median hourly wage: $41.39
- Total employment: 80 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pheelings media // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Statisticians
- Median annual wage: $86,160
- Median hourly wage: $41.42
- Total employment: 40 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $86,570
- Median hourly wage: $41.62
- Total employment: 90 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Unai Huizi Photography // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Dental hygienists
- Median annual wage: $86,960
- Median hourly wage: $41.81
- Total employment: 140 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $87,540
- Median hourly wage: $42.09
- Total employment: 90 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $87,970
- Median hourly wage: $42.29
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $88,440
- Median hourly wage: $42.52
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $89,350
- Median hourly wage: $42.96
- Total employment: 70 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $89,380
- Median hourly wage: $42.97
- Total employment: 60 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $89,650
- Median hourly wage: $43.10
- Total employment: 240 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $89,730
- Median hourly wage: $43.14
- Total employment: 140 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $91,370
- Median hourly wage: $43.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50#37. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $92,100
- Median hourly wage: $44.28
- Total employment: 130 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $93,150
- Median hourly wage: $44.78
- Total employment: 90 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $95,010
- Median hourly wage: $45.68
- Total employment: 60 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
comzeal images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $95,180
- Median hourly wage: $45.76
- Total employment: 130 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,000
- Median hourly wage: $46.64
- Total employment: 70 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $100,790
- Median hourly wage: $48.46
- Total employment: 70 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $101,010
- Median hourly wage: $48.56
- Total employment: 80 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $102,750
- Median hourly wage: $49.40
- Total employment: 200 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $102,990
- Median hourly wage: $49.51
- Total employment: 130 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $103,400
- Median hourly wage: $49.71
- Total employment: 140 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $103,520
- Median hourly wage: $49.77
- Total employment: 640 people (6.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $103,600
- Median hourly wage: $49.81
- Total employment: 40 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,990
- Median hourly wage: $50.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $104,950
- Median hourly wage: $50.46
- Total employment: 750 people (8.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Lawyers
- Median annual wage: $105,680
- Median hourly wage: $50.81
- Total employment: 180 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $107,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 160 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $109,960
- Median hourly wage: $52.87
- Total employment: 410 people (4.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $110,000
- Median hourly wage: $52.89
- Total employment: 70 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $111,070
- Median hourly wage: $53.40
- Total employment: 130 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $111,160
- Median hourly wage: $53.44
- Total employment: 60 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Veterinarians
- Median annual wage: $112,670
- Median hourly wage: $54.17
- Total employment: 50 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $113,920
- Median hourly wage: $54.77
- Total employment: 50 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $115,320
- Median hourly wage: $55.44
- Total employment: 60 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $119,680
- Median hourly wage: $57.54
- Total employment: 50 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $123,460
- Median hourly wage: $59.36
- Total employment: 100 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $125,070
- Median hourly wage: $60.13
- Total employment: 110 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $128,680
- Median hourly wage: $61.87
- Total employment: 370 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $129,550
- Median hourly wage: $62.29
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Nurse practitioners
- Median annual wage: $130,140
- Median hourly wage: $62.57
- Total employment: 290 people (3.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $135,570
- Median hourly wage: $65.18
- Total employment: 140 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Pharmacists
- Median annual wage: $137,540
- Median hourly wage: $66.12
- Total employment: 410 people (4.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Physician assistants
- Median annual wage: $138,360
- Median hourly wage: $66.52
- Total employment: 340 people (3.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $139,830
- Median hourly wage: $67.23
- Total employment: 60 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prostock-studio // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Dentists, general
- Median annual wage: $172,590
- Median hourly wage: $82.98
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $176,850
- Median hourly wage: $85.03
- Total employment: 160 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Physicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 310 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Family medicine physicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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