How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Iowa?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $36,420 for Real Estate Agents in Iowa as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $24,190 and the 75th-percentile is $60,960.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Real Estate Agent salary in Iowa?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.8 for Iowa), the real-wage equivalent is $41,028 — what the $36,420 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $27,251 to $68,673.

What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Iowa?

The 90th percentile lands at $77,990. 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 $60,960.

How many Real Estate Agents does Iowa employ?

BLS OES counts 670 Real Estate Agents 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.

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 real estate agent figure represent typical Iowa agent income?

Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Iowa real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.

Is the Iowa real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?

The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in Iowa markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in Iowa's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Iowa agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make in Iowa? $36K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Headline Real Estate Agent pay in Iowa is $36,420. Real take-home, after the state's cost-of-living index, lands at $41,028.
Below-100 RPP flips this state above its nominal rank in real-wage terms; the gap is about $4,608.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $21,770 · P25 $24,190 · P75 $60,960 · P90 $77,990.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #47 of 51; nominal rank is #49.

Wage breakdown — Iowa

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$21,770	$24,524
P25 (lower quartile)	$24,190	$27,251
P50 (median)	$36,420	$41,028
P75 (upper quartile)	$60,960	$68,673
P90 (top tier)	$77,990	$87,857
Mean	$46,070	$51,899
Employment	670 Real Estate Agents 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 (Real Estate Agent)	$36,420	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$2,232	6.1% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$785	3.8% flat (2026, SF 2417 fully phased)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$2,786	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$30,616	84.1% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$34,490	÷ (88.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Iowa state-tax burden means for Real Estate Agent take-home

Iowa's state tax is light at this income tier (~2.2% effective). The bigger compensation lever is the below-baseline cost of living (RPP 88.8), which lifts real take-home above nominal after-tax — net real after-tax $34,490.

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 $56,320 for Real Estate Agents with mean pay of $70,970 and total employment of 190,600. Iowa sits at #49 on nominal pay and #47 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

How much does a Real Estate Agent make in Iowa?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $36,420 for Real Estate Agents in Iowa as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $24,190 and the 75th-percentile is $60,960.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Real Estate Agent salary in Iowa?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 88.8 for Iowa), the real-wage equivalent is $41,028 — what the $36,420 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $27,251 to $68,673.
What does the top of the Real Estate Agent pay scale look like in Iowa?: The 90th percentile lands at $77,990. 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 $60,960.
How many Real Estate Agents does Iowa employ?: BLS OES counts 670 Real Estate Agents 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.
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 real estate agent figure represent typical Iowa agent income?: Probably not — and this is the single largest BLS limitation for this occupation. The vast majority of Iowa real estate agents work as independent contractors paid on 1099, not W-2. BLS OEWS measures wage and salary employment only, so the figure on this page reflects the small subset of agents on W-2 (typically corporate brokerage employees, salaried agents at iBuyer firms, salaried team-staff agents). The much larger 1099 commission-only population is captured by NAR member surveys and IRS Schedule C data, both of which show median income substantially below BLS — typically $30-50K nationally for the median agent — with extreme right-skew. Treat the BLS number on this page as a floor, not a typical figure.
Is the Iowa real estate market shift (post-2024 NAR commission settlement) affecting agent pay?: The 2024 NAR settlement on buyer-broker commission disclosure has compressed effective commissions in Iowa markets where buyers now negotiate buy-side fees explicitly. Anecdotal early data shows 0.25-0.75 percentage points of buy-side commission compression in Iowa's competitive metros. Combined with cyclically suppressed transaction volume in 2024-2025 high-rate environment, gross commission income for the median Iowa agent has declined roughly 15-30% from the 2021-2022 peak. The BLS figure on this page reflects the most recent OEWS release date noted on the page; current-year realized earnings are likely below it for the typical commission-only agent.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 41-9022, 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 2026-05-08.

Cross-comparison: see how Iowa Real Estate Agent 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.