High paying teaching and library jobs in Iowa

Every teaching and library occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Iowa. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single teaching and library job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Iowa run 12.2% below the national average (2024), so a Iowa salary is worth about 1.14× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Iowa.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find teaching jobs in Iowa

OccupationMedian, Iowa · Employed

1Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$128,490
Doctoral or professional degree
$62,810 – $358,5503,230
2Business Teachers, Postsecondary$83,200
Doctoral or professional degree
$49,750 – $207,890890
3English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$79,720
Doctoral or professional degree
$48,960 – $102,530510
4Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$78,060
Doctoral or professional degree
$59,130 – $167,300540
5Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$77,740
Master's degree
$47,290 – $159,410910
6Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$77,360
Doctoral or professional degree
$49,450 – $104,820770
7Instructional Coordinators$74,970
Master's degree
$50,390 – $96,2002,760
8Postsecondary Teachers, All Other$71,680
Doctoral or professional degree
$30,130 – $103,6801,480
9Special Education Teachers, Middle School$63,590
Bachelor's degree
$46,490 – $90,460990
10Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary$62,270
Bachelor's degree
$45,080 – $96,2101,170
11Education Teachers, Postsecondary$62,090
Doctoral or professional degree
$29,850 – $130,120690
12Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$61,200
Bachelor's degree
$47,480 – $79,27012,310
13Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$60,780
Bachelor's degree
$46,840 – $81,5701,570
14Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$60,580
Bachelor's degree
$47,260 – $77,40017,300
15Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$60,450
Bachelor's degree
$40,920 – $79,1106,270
16Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School$60,440
Bachelor's degree
$47,490 – $77,2602,560
17Librarians and Media Collections Specialists$58,440
Master's degree
$31,620 – $86,6001,770
18Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$58,420
Bachelor's degree
$47,020 – $75,8601,160
19Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$57,660
Bachelor's degree
$43,650 – $75,930640
20Farm and Home Management Educators$48,200
Master's degree
$43,010 – $82,020520
21Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other$40,620
Bachelor's degree
$26,880 – $60,9801,050
22Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$38,960
Bachelor's degree
$22,790 – $66,080560
23Library Technicians$38,590
Postsecondary nondegree award
$28,230 – $61,5701,510
24Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$37,230
Bachelor's degree
$30,980 – $47,7707,300
25Tutors$36,790
Some college, no degree
$22,760 – $57,390610
26Self-Enrichment Teachers$35,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$21,570 – $72,8002,910
27Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$33,830
Associate's degree
$27,730 – $48,3905,910
28Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$30,510
Some college, no degree
$22,400 – $37,52024,520

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianIowa	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Health Specialties Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$128,490	$62,810 – $358,550	3,230
2	Business Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$83,200	$49,750 – $207,890	890
3	English Language and Literature Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$79,720	$48,960 – $102,530	510
4	Biological Science Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$78,060	$59,130 – $167,300	540
5	Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondaryMaster's degree	$77,740	$47,290 – $159,410	910
6	Nursing Instructors and Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$77,360	$49,450 – $104,820	770
7	Instructional CoordinatorsMaster's degree	$74,970	$50,390 – $96,200	2,760
8	Postsecondary Teachers, All OtherDoctoral or professional degree	$71,680	$30,130 – $103,680	1,480
9	Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolBachelor's degree	$63,590	$46,490 – $90,460	990
10	Career/Technical Education Teachers, PostsecondaryBachelor's degree	$62,270	$45,080 – $96,210	1,170
11	Education Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$62,090	$29,850 – $130,120	690
12	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$61,200	$47,480 – $79,270	12,310
13	Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolBachelor's degree	$60,780	$46,840 – $81,570	1,570
14	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$60,580	$47,260 – $77,400	17,300
15	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$60,450	$40,920 – $79,110	6,270
16	Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary SchoolBachelor's degree	$60,440	$47,490 – $77,260	2,560
17	Librarians and Media Collections SpecialistsMaster's degree	$58,440	$31,620 – $86,600	1,770
18	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$58,420	$47,020 – $75,860	1,160
19	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolBachelor's degree	$57,660	$43,650 – $75,930	640
20	Farm and Home Management EducatorsMaster's degree	$48,200	$43,010 – $82,020	520
21	Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$40,620	$26,880 – $60,980	1,050
22	Teaching Assistants, PostsecondaryBachelor's degree	$38,960	$22,790 – $66,080	560
23	Library TechniciansPostsecondary nondegree award	$38,590	$28,230 – $61,570	1,510
24	Substitute Teachers, Short-TermBachelor's degree	$37,230	$30,980 – $47,770	7,300
25	TutorsSome college, no degree	$36,790	$22,760 – $57,390	610
26	Self-Enrichment TeachersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,670	$21,570 – $72,800	2,910
27	Preschool Teachers, Except Special EducationAssociate's degree	$33,830	$27,730 – $48,390	5,910
28	Teaching Assistants, Except PostsecondarySome college, no degree	$30,510	$22,400 – $37,520	24,520

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Iowa. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Iowa

Metro areas in Iowa

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Iowa

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Iowa to rank honestly.

High paying teaching and library jobs in Iowa

More for Iowa

Metro areas in Iowa

By field in Iowa

Without a degree

High paying teaching and library jobs in each state