Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$59,002
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$15,468
20.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$66,468
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
$74,470
Kept after tax
$59,002
Worth in national money
$66,468
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Iowa is 27 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $74,470. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Iowa reports figures for, this is number 140.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $74,470 you keep $59,002 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $66,468 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $76,280, since top earners drag the number up.
- Iowa ranks 27 of 51 for police and sheriff's patrol officers at $74,470. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Iowa's occupational distribution, police and sheriff's patrol officers sits at 140 of 493 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Retained pay in Iowa is $59,002 after the full tax stack, from $74,470. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $66,468 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $76,280 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $59,360 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $74,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $101,520 |
| This salary | $74,470 |
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 | $59,002 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $61,220 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$3,469 |
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 | $71,317 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$4,791 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of police and sheriff's patrol officers in Iowa earn under $74,470 and half over. The published range runs $59,360 at the tenth percentile to $101,520 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $59,002, from $74,470, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 140 of 493 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Iowa, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $66,468, the adjusted value of that $74,470 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 140 of 493 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for police and sheriff's patrol officers in Iowa, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $59,360 to $101,520; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Iowa is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $59,002 from $74,470. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 140 of 493 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $66,468 — the adjusted value of that $74,470 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 140 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $59,360 at the bottom tenth to $101,520 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 $66,468 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 $59,002.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($59,360 to $101,520) 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 $66,468 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 $59,002 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.