Medical assistant salary in Iowa
- Yearly median pay: $45,480
- Hourly median pay: $21.87
- Iowa medical assistant jobs: about 5,990
- Projected job growth, 2024 to 2034: 19.1%
In Iowa, medical assistants have a median salary of $45,480 per year, which comes to $21.87 per hour, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. A median is a midpoint: half earn more than that level, and half earn less. Iowa's median is about the same as the national median of $45,690, and it ranks 24th out of 51 (the 50 states and DC).
Iowa is expected to have about 800 medical assistant openings each year. Choose an accredited program on our Iowa programs page, then send that school the short Request information form with your name, email, phone, ZIP code and start time.
- Median a year
- $45,480
- Lowest-paid tenth
- $36,730 or less
- Best-paid tenth
- $54,960 or more
- Medical assistant jobs
- 5,990
- Job growth 2024 to 2034
- +19.1%
Iowa pay range
Pay is not the same for everyone. Where you work and your time on the job can change what you earn. The BLS wage survey gives this Iowa spread.
| Iowa medical assistant group | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Lowest-earning 10% | $36,730 or less |
| Middle 50% | $38,980 to $48,030 |
| Top-earning 10% | $54,960 or more |
Iowa’s average wage is $44,930 a year, slightly below the $45,480 median.
Medical assistant pay in each Iowa metro area
| Metro area | Median a year | Median an hour | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | $48,010 | $23.08 | 1,400 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $46,920 | $22.56 | 1,780 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | $46,480 | $22.35 | 510 |
| Ames, IA | $45,810 | $22.02 | 180 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | $45,660 | $21.95 | 390 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | $45,650 | $21.95 | 280 |
| Dubuque, IA | $44,730 | $21.51 | 210 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $44,700 | $21.49 | 840 |
| Iowa City, IA | $43,550 | $20.94 | 480 |
Where in Iowa do medical assistants earn the highest pay?
Omaha, NE-IA tops the list of metro areas, paying a median of $48,010 per year. Iowa City has the lowest median among the state's metro areas, at $43,550.
The Des Moines-West Des Moines area employs the most medical assistants of any Iowa metro, roughly 1,780.
How does medical assistant pay compare with other health care roles?
In Iowa, medical assistants bring home higher pay than nursing assistants or phlebotomists. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses earn more.
| Iowa health care role | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Registered nurses (RN) | $78,630 |
| Licensed practical/vocational nurses | $62,630 |
| Medical assistants | $45,480 |
| Nursing assistants | $39,350 |
| Phlebotomists | $38,240 |
All of these figures are drawn from the BLS wage tables.
What is the job outlook for medical assistants in Iowa?
The state's labor agency projects this field will grow from 5,330 jobs in 2024 to 6,350 by 2034. That is growth of 19.1%, ahead of the 12.5% expected for the US as a whole, according to Projections Central. For this growth rate, Iowa is 14th out of 51.
Iowa is expected to have about 800 openings each year. That total covers newly created roles plus spots that open when people retire or change jobs.
Even so, this work remains less widespread in Iowa than in much of the country. Iowa has 3.8 medical assistants per 1,000 jobs, putting it 40th out of 51.
How to train as a medical assistant in Iowa
Our site includes 14 Iowa schools that share their graduate counts with the federal College Navigator. Of those schools, 11 offer an accredited program. Accreditation means an outside group, CAAHEP or ABHES, has reviewed the program and confirmed it meets that body's standards.
Nationwide, the median length at career schools that report it is 9 months, and the median whole-program price is $17,257, which covers tuition, fees, and books in federal school data. Public colleges show a median in-district tuition and fees of $4,346 for a year of full-time study.
Certain programs offer their classroom courses through distance education, with the supervised clinical practice done in person. Ready to start? Pick an accredited program on our Iowa programs page and send that school the short Request information form.
Sources for these figures
Pay data is drawn from the May 2025 wage survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Projected job growth comes from Projections Central, which relies on projections supplied by the state labor market agency in Iowa. School counts and prices are taken from the federal IPEDS survey covering 2023 to 2024, plus the accredited-program lists kept by CAAHEP and ABHES.
Pay: Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey, May 2025. Growth: Projections Central, from Iowa’s labor market office. The job itself: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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