What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Iowa?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.8 for Iowa), the real-wage equivalent is $121,518 — what the $107,870 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $86,077 to $181,978.

How are Iowa Lawyer salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

Is Iowa a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $107,870 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $121,518. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Lawyers comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Lawyer 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Iowa?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Iowa.

Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Iowa?

No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Iowa BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.

Is the Iowa bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?

Yes — Iowa's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Iowa markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Lawyer Salary in Iowa (2026): $108K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Iowa pays Lawyers a BLS median of $107,870 — the more useful number is $121,518, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Lawyer ranking: #36 on the BLS table, #34 once cost of living is in.
After the cost-of-living adjustment, take-home rises by $13,648 versus the BLS median — purchasing-power arbitrage.
Bottom quartile $76,410, top quartile $161,540. The P90 ($216,600) is roughly 4.4× the P10 ($49,530).

Wage breakdown — Iowa

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$49,530	$55,797
P25 (lower quartile)	$76,410	$86,077
P50 (median)	$107,870	$121,518
P75 (upper quartile)	$161,540	$181,978
P90 (top tier)	$216,600	$244,004
Mean	$124,130	$139,835
Employment	3,550 Lawyers 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 (Lawyer)	$107,870	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$14,978	13.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$3,501	3.8% flat (2026, SF 2417 fully phased)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$8,252	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$81,139	75.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$91,405	÷ (88.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

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

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.2% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $81,139 (75.2% of gross). After the 88.8 RPP, real take-home is $91,405.

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 $151,160 for Lawyers with mean pay of $182,760 and total employment of 747,750. Iowa sits at #36 on nominal pay and #34 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Iowa climbs 2 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Iowa?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.8 for Iowa), the real-wage equivalent is $121,518 — what the $107,870 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $86,077 to $181,978.
How are Iowa Lawyer salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
Is Iowa a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Lawyers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $107,870 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $121,518. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Lawyers comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Lawyer 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Iowa?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Iowa.
Does the BLS lawyer median include partner profit-share in Iowa?: No — BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income only. Equity-partner distributions at law firms are reported on K-1 (partnership income), not W-2, and are excluded entirely. In Iowa BigLaw and major regional firms, this means the BLS-reported median understates total compensation for the partnership tier substantially: P90 partner draw often runs 3-10× the BLS-reported P90 once profits-per-equity-partner are factored in. The BLS figure on this page accurately represents salaried associates, of-counsel, and staff attorneys; it does not represent equity-partner income.
Is the Iowa bar reciprocity (admission on motion / UBE) factor relevant to pay?: Yes — Iowa's admission-on-motion rules (or UBE-score portability) determine whether out-of-state lawyers can practice without re-sitting the bar exam, which affects labor-supply elasticity for senior roles. Iowa markets that allow broad admission on motion typically see less premium for in-state-only attorneys at the lateral level. The DeepComps Bar Admission Reciprocity by State page (linked under license reciprocity) tracks current rules; states with strict re-sit requirements show more pay compression for incoming senior laterals.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-1011, 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 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Iowa Lawyer 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.