Intelligence / Caregiver Pay / Iowa
Caregiver Pay in Iowa
What caregivers earn in Iowa — the typical wage, the realistic pay bands, and how the state's metros compare.
Headline numbers
Typical hourly pay
$17.34/hras of May 2025
the median caregiver wage in Iowa
vs the national market
+0.8%as of May 2025
above the national typical wage of $17.21/hr
Caregivers employed
25,800as of May 2025
home health & personal care aides in Iowa
The pay bands
Entry-level
$14.63/hr
1 in 10 earn less than this
Lower band
$16.14/hr
a quarter of caregivers earn less
Typical
$17.34/hr
the middle of the market
Upper band
$19.05/hr
a quarter of caregivers earn more
Top-of-market
$21.87/hr
1 in 10 earn more than this
Metro by metro
| Ames, IA | $17.14/hr | $16.22/hr – $19.29/hr | 700 |
| Dubuque, IA | $18.31/hr | $17.03/hr – $21.42/hr | 1,020 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $17.59/hr | $16.67/hr – $18.86/hr | 1,230 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $17.55/hr | $15.60/hr – $18.91/hr | 1,320 |
| Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $17.07/hr | $15.45/hr – $19.80/hr | 1,550 |
| Iowa City, IA | $17.13/hr | $15.67/hr – $18.06/hr | 1,780 |
| Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $17.19/hr | $16.18/hr – $18.51/hr | 1,890 |
| Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $17.74/hr | $16.27/hr – $21.16/hr | 1,950 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $17.00/hr | $15.17/hr – $18.53/hr | 2,260 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $16.52/hr | $16.00/hr – $17.83/hr | 2,280 |
| Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $17.26/hr | $16.29/hr – $20.61/hr | 3,600 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $17.48/hr | $16.85/hr – $18.17/hr | 6,210 |
What Iowa agencies are advertising right now
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
HomecareHQ analysis$17.00/hrtypical advertised payas of Sep 2026
from the 6 of 19 agency ads that disclosed pay · Aug 12 – Sep 11, 2026small sampleBenefits mentioned · % of 19 agency ads
- Flexible schedule84.2%
- Paid training63.2%
- Dental36.8%
- Mileage26.3%
- 401(k)26.3%
- Vision26.3%
- Health insurance26.3%
- Daily pay15.8%
+5 more benefits tracked
Hiring incentives
Referral bonus 5.3%
19 agency job ads found this window — a read on hiring demand · 47.1% of ads are part-time roles
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