Is $50,000 a good salary in Iowa?
$50,000 in Iowa is a below-median household income - the 32nd percentile of Iowa households in the Census ACS 2024 distribution (31st nationally). A single filer keeps about $40,884 after federal, Iowa state, and FICA taxes - roughly $3,407/mo at a 18% effective rate. Statewide median rent takes 24% of gross, inside the affordable band.
Estimate only - not financial advice. Methodology and sources.
Census ACS 2024 1-year data (tables B19080, B19013), verified . Reviewed by kgenots, Editor. Methodology
Iowa household income distribution (ACS 2024)
Iowa's own published cut-points - where $50,000 sits is highlighted. These are the actual Census quintile thresholds for Iowa, not the national distribution rescaled.
| Percentile | Band | Household income |
|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | Bottom 20% | $33,795✓ passed |
| 40th percentile | Lower-middle | $60,516 |
| 50th percentile (median) | Median household | $75,501 |
| 60th percentile | Upper-middle | $91,846 |
| 80th percentile | Top 20% starts | $138,132 |
| 95th percentile (top 5%) | Top 5% starts | $243,236 |
$50,000 clears the 20th percentile threshold in Iowa - placing it at the 32nd percentile of state households.
Take-home pay on $50,000 in Iowa
| Gross income | $50,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$3,962 |
| Iowa state income tax | −$1,330 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | −$3,100 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | −$725 |
| Take-home (net) | $40,884 |
That's about $3,407/month net, an effective tax rate of 18.2%. Iowa's average combined sales tax is 6.94%, charged on taxable spending out of that net - a consumption cost on top of the income tax above.
Single filer, 2025 federal brackets + standard deduction. State tax uses Iowa's top/flat marginal rate, so in progressive-bracket states (e.g. California, New York) the state line is an upper bound and your actual net is likely a little higher. Married-filing-jointly and pre-tax 401(k)/health deductions also change the result. Estimate only - Iowa take-home detail →
Occupations near $50,000 (single earner)
BLS national median wages within ±15% of $50,000 - gives texture for which careers and seniorities land at this income level.
| Occupation | Stage | National wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail salesperson | senior | $50,000 |
| Accountant | entry-level | $53,000 |
| Police officer | entry-level | $47,000 |
| Construction laborer | mid-career | $46,500 |
| High school teacher | entry-level | $46,000 |
| Elementary teacher | entry-level | $46,000 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. National medians; metro/state variance can be ±30%. Career stage estimates: entry ≈ 25th pct, senior ≈ 75th pct of the same SOC code.
Lifestyle context - rent burden in Iowa
At $50,000 gross, statewide median rent eats 24% of income - inside the affordable band. Metro areas (LA, SF, NYC, Boston, Seattle) typically run 30-50% above the statewide median.
Home affordability at $50,000
Using the 28% rule on a 30-year mortgage, $50,000 gross supports a home purchase up to about $134,906. Iowa median home value is $181,600 - you can afford 74% of the median home, so buying requires lower-priced markets, a larger down payment, or co-buying.
How $50,000 ranks in neighboring states
State-adjusted percentile shows the same income placed in Iowa's contiguous neighbors. Relevant for relocation, remote-work geography, or border-town decisions.
| State | Median HH | % vs median | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa (current) | $75,501 | -34% | 32nd |
| Missouri | $71,589 | -30% | 35th |
| Nebraska | $76,376 | -35% | 32nd |
| Wisconsin | $77,488 | -35% | 31st |
| South Dakota | $76,881 | -35% | 31st |
| Illinois | $83,211 | -40% | 30th |
| Minnesota | $87,117 | -43% | 27th |
$50,000 ranks similarly in
Other incomes in Iowa
Common questions
- Is $50,000 a good household income in Iowa?
- It sits at roughly the 32nd percentile of Iowa households in the state's own Census ACS 2024 income distribution (Iowa median $75,501). Nationally that's about the 31st percentile. Whether "good" depends on household size, debt, and metro cost of living - state figures smooth over big within-state variation.
- How does $50,000 compare to the Iowa median?
- It's 34% below the Iowa median household income of $75,501 (Census ACS 2024, table B19013). Half of Iowa households earn less than $75,501, half earn more.
- How exact is the 32nd percentile figure for $50,000?
- It is interpolated, not read off a published table. The Census publishes Iowa household income only at quintile cut-points, and $50,000 falls between the 20th-percentile cut-point ($33,795) and the 40th-percentile cut-point ($60,516). We interpolate linearly between those two published points, so the figure is accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal.
- What is the highest income Iowa's data can rank?
- Iowa's published 95th-percentile cut-point is $243,236, below the $250,001 level at which the Census top-codes this measure. That means percentile positions in Iowa stay meaningful across the full range shown here, unlike in higher-income states where the top bracket is censored.
Full data sources and formulas: /sources.
Source and methodology
Data source. Iowa household income distribution comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates: table B19080 (quintile upper limits) and table B19013 (median household income), retrieved via the Census Reporter API on 2026-07-11.
How the percentile is derived. The Census publishes Iowa only at the cut-points shown in the table above. We interpolate linearly between the two published points that bracket $50,000 ($33,795 and $60,516). We do not rescale one national curve by a state median, which is what most percentile calculators do.
Limitations. Interpolated positions are accurate to a few percentile points, not to the decimal. Iowa's 95th-percentile cut-point is $243,236, below the $250,001 top-code ceiling, so ranks stay meaningful across the range shown. State-level figures also smooth over large metro-to-rural variation within Iowa.
US household income percentile calculator → Income percentile by state (all 50) → Full methodology →
Estimate only - not financial advice. Percentiles are interpolated from US Census Bureau ACS household income distribution tables and describe where an income falls nationally - they are not a judgment of what you should earn or financial advice. Cost of living varies widely by state and metro.
Reviewed by kgenots, Editor · editorial policy