What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Iowa?

The 90th percentile lands at $121,940. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $93,450.

How many Accountants does Iowa employ?

BLS OES counts 13,970 Accountants employed in Iowa in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Iowa different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Iowa's overall index of 88.8 reflects rents 66.0, services 87.3, and goods 96.6.

Where does Iowa rank for Accountant pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Iowa ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Iowa?

P10 to P90 spans $48,300 to $121,940. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

What are the limits of these Accountant salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Iowa accountant BLS figures?

Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Iowa markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

How Much Do Accountants Make in Iowa? $74K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

$74,290 is the BLS median wage for Accountants in Iowa; $83,689 is the BEA-adjusted purchasing-power equivalent.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #20 of 51; nominal rank is #40.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $9,399.
Bottom quartile $60,600, top quartile $93,450. The P90 ($121,940) is roughly 2.5× the P10 ($48,300).

Wage breakdown — Iowa

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$48,300	$54,411
P25 (lower quartile)	$60,600	$68,267
P50 (median)	$74,290	$83,689
P75 (upper quartile)	$93,450	$105,273
P90 (top tier)	$121,940	$137,368
Mean	$80,540	$90,730
Employment	13,970 Accountants in Iowa

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Iowa index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.8
Goods	96.6
Services	87.3
Rents	66.0

Iowa sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 66.0.

After-tax take-home — Iowa (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Accountant)	$74,290	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,591	10.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,225	3.8% flat (2026, SF 2417 fully phased)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,683	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$58,791	79.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$66,230	÷ (88.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Iowa state-tax burden means for Accountant take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $58,791 (79.1% of gross). After the 88.8 RPP, real take-home is $66,230.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $81,680 for Accountants with mean pay of $93,520 and total employment of 1,448,290. Iowa sits at #40 on nominal pay and #20 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Iowa climbs 20 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Accountant pay scale look like in Iowa?: The 90th percentile lands at $121,940. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $93,450.
How many Accountants does Iowa employ?: BLS OES counts 13,970 Accountants employed in Iowa in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Iowa different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Iowa's overall index of 88.8 reflects rents 66.0, services 87.3, and goods 96.6.
Where does Iowa rank for Accountant pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Iowa ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Iowa?: P10 to P90 spans $48,300 to $121,940. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
What are the limits of these Accountant salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Is busy season ($35K of overtime) included in Iowa accountant BLS figures?: Yes — BLS OES uses annualized W-2 earnings, so January-April busy-season overtime is rolled into the median. The high P90 in public-accounting-heavy Iowa markets reflects busy-season hours plus year-end bonuses. Industry accountants typically have flatter hours and a lower P90 ceiling but more predictable totals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2011, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Iowa Accountant pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.