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.

Is Iowa a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Police Officers?

Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $73,900 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $83,250. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Police Officers comparing offers across regions.

What are the limits of these Police Officer 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.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Iowa?

No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Iowa police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Iowa runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.

Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Iowa police?

Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Iowa departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.

Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Iowa?

BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Iowa, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Iowa state and local positions at the senior level.

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

TL;DR

Police Officers in Iowa earn a BLS median of $73,900, with real take-home of $83,250 after BEA RPP adjustment.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #14 of 51; nominal rank is #27.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $9,350.
Bottom quartile $65,380, top quartile $86,440. The P90 ($96,260) is roughly 1.7× the P10 ($57,460).

Wage breakdown — Iowa

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$57,460	$64,730
P25 (lower quartile)	$65,380	$73,652
P50 (median)	$73,900	$83,250
P75 (upper quartile)	$86,440	$97,376
P90 (top tier)	$96,260	$108,439
Mean	$75,390	$84,928
Employment	5,110 Police Officers 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 (Police Officer)	$73,900	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,505	10.2% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,210	3.8% flat (2026, SF 2417 fully phased)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,653	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$58,532	79.2% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$65,937	÷ (88.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Iowa state-tax burden means for Police Officer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $58,532 (79.2% of gross). After the 88.8 RPP, real take-home is $65,937.

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 $76,290 for Police Officers with mean pay of $79,320 and total employment of 666,990. Iowa sits at #27 on nominal pay and #14 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Iowa climbs 13 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

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.
Is Iowa a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Police Officers?: Yes — the BEA RPP of 88.8 is below the national 100 baseline, so nominal $73,900 stretches to a real-wage equivalent of $83,250. The take-home advantage versus a higher-RPP state is meaningful for Police Officers comparing offers across regions.
What are the limits of these Police Officer 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.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
Is pension included in BLS police officer pay for Iowa?: No — BLS OEWS measures W-2 wage and salary income only. The defined-benefit pension is the single largest piece of police compensation and BLS never captures it. Iowa police pension formulas typically pay 50-75% of final-3-year average salary after 20-25 years of service, with most plans allowing retirement at 50-55. Including pension's actuarial present value, total police compensation in Iowa runs 30-50% above the BLS-reported figure.
Does court time and off-duty security work appear in BLS for Iowa police?: Court appearances on off-duty time and overtime hours show up in W-2, so BLS captures them. Off-duty security details (banks, schools, sporting events, construction sites) are typically paid through department-administered programs and run through W-2 — those are captured. Independently arranged moonlighting that bypasses department channels is not. Iowa departments with high paid-detail volume (urban centers, college towns) push BLS-reported pay 10-25% above smaller jurisdictions in the same state.
Federal vs state trooper vs city / county pay in Iowa?: BLS aggregates city PD, county sheriff, and state troopers under SOC 33-3051 (federal officers are separately classified under 33-3052 and not reflected in this page). In Iowa, state troopers typically lead on starting base, big-city PDs lead on overtime opportunity and detail income, and sheriff's deputies usually trail on base but lead on assignment flexibility. Federal LE (FBI, USMS, ATF, DEA, ICE, Border Patrol) pays under the GS scale plus LEAP availability pay (25%) and locality, putting federal LE pay above most Iowa state and local positions at the senior level.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 33-3051, 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 Police Officer 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.