Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $73,370
- Median hourly wage: $35.27
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying jobs in Iowa City that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Iowa City, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $75,910
- Median hourly wage: $36.50
- Total employment: 1,650 people (17.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#48. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $77,240
- Median hourly wage: $37.14
- Total employment: 30 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Financial specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,420
- Median hourly wage: $37.22
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $77,520
- Median hourly wage: $37.27
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $78,480
- Median hourly wage: $37.73
- Total employment: 50 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $80,230
- Median hourly wage: $38.57
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $80,600
- Median hourly wage: $38.75
- Total employment: 90 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $82,360
- Median hourly wage: $39.60
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $82,920
- Median hourly wage: $39.87
- Total employment: 4,050 people (43.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $83,120
- Median hourly wage: $39.96
- Total employment: 340 people (3.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $83,490
- Median hourly wage: $40.14
- Total employment: 180 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $83,720
- Median hourly wage: $40.25
- Total employment: 230 people (2.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50#37. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $83,920
- Median hourly wage: $40.35
- Total employment: 110 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $85,550
- Median hourly wage: $41.13
- Total employment: 100 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $85,700
- Median hourly wage: $41.20
- Total employment: 50 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $85,750
- Median hourly wage: $41.23
- Total employment: 160 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. 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)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. 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)
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20 / 50#31. 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)
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21 / 50#30. 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)
Rido // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. 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)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. 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
24 / 50#27. 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)
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25 / 50#26. 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)
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Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. 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)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. 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)
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28 / 50#23. 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
29 / 50#22. 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
30 / 50#21. 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)
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31 / 50#20. 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)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. 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
33 / 50#18. 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
34 / 50#17. 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
35 / 50#16. 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)
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36 / 50#15. 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)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. 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
38 / 50#13. 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)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. 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
40 / 50#11. 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)
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41 / 50#10. 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)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. 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
43 / 50#8. 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
44 / 50#7. 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
45 / 50#6. 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)
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46 / 50#5. 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)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. 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)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. 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)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. 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)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. 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)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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