First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$75,220
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$23,620
23.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$84,738
Iowa costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Iowa — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$98,840
Kept after tax
$75,220
Worth in national money
$84,738
State rank
26
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $98,840, ranking 26 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- This is one of the better-paid jobs in Iowa. It ranks 49 out of 493 occupations the state publishes figures for, which puts it in the top quarter locally.
- Iowa is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $98,840 the take-home is $75,220; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $84,738 would nationally. The average comes to $101,540, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Iowa occupies the middle band for first-line supervisors of police and detectives: a median of $98,840, ranking 26 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Within Iowa, first-line supervisors of police and detectives ranks 49 of 493 occupations by median pay, placing it in the top quartile of the local distribution. This is the comparison a resident actually makes — against neighbors rather than against the same job elsewhere.
- Post-tax income for first-line supervisors of police and detectives in Iowa, on $98,840, is $75,220 — equivalent to $84,738 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $101,540 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $76,150 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $98,840 |
| Top tenth earn over | $126,470 |
| This salary | $98,840 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Iowa | $75,220 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $78,364 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,096 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $94,371 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$5,658 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Iowa earn less than $98,840. The published range is $76,150 up to $126,470, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Iowa's $75,220, worked from $98,840. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 49 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $84,738 uses one figure for the whole of Iowa. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 49.
- Reported values are medians; for first-line supervisors of police and detectives in Iowa the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $76,150 to $126,470. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Iowa take-home of $75,220, on $98,840 for work ranking 49 of 493 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 49 of 493 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $84,738, worked from $98,840, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Iowa address, on work sitting at 49 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $76,150 at the bottom tenth to $126,470 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Iowa sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $84,738 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Iowa then takes its own share, leaving $75,220.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($76,150 to $126,470) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Iowa rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Iowa's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $84,738 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $75,220 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Iowa income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.