Iowa travel nurse pay 2026: $94,990, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Iowa
Travel RN contracts in Iowa post an average base of $94,990 annualised — 6% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 33rd of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Iowa compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Iowa average $80,540, 4th-lowest in the country, against a $94,990 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Iowa salary guide.
Licensing for a Iowa assignment
Iowa is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Iowa assignment with no separate application, which is why Iowa can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Iowa Board of Nursing charges $99 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Iowa income tax: flat 3.8%, charged on wages earned in Iowa wherever your tax home is — so compare a Iowa contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Iowa state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Iowa's travel markets are Des Moines, Cedar Rapids. Regional price parity is 90.0 against a national 100, so Iowa costs run 10.0% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Iowa demand
Among the lowest baseline RN wages despite very strong CRNA and NP markets; rural hospital pressure and full NP practice authority elevate APRN demand.
Ratio law: Iowa has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a Iowa contract
What moves Iowa rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Iowa's $94,990 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Iowa contract
Get the Iowa license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Iowa?
About $94,990 annualised posted base, 6% below the national $101,132 and 33rd of 51.
Do I need a Iowa license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Iowa.
Are Iowa travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Iowa
Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota.
Related Iowa guides
Iowa RN salary · Iowa licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.