Iowa · Controller Salary
Controller Salary in Iowa
What controllers earn in Iowa — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Iowa wage ($77,440) → controller role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Controller make in Iowa?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Iowa wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The controller figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Controller · estimated median
$151,000
Modeled median for a controller in Iowa, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payIowa · verified BLS median
$77,440
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Iowa — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Iowa payState rank (verified)
#37 of 51
Where Iowa ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Iowa — not for controllers, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51,420 | $24.72/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $62,090 | $29.85/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $77,440 | $37.23/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $98,150 | $47.19/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $123,700 | $59.47/hr | Top earners |
The Iowa figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $77,440 median across 13,210 accountants and auditors employed in Iowa.
Every controller figure on this page — $151,000 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (1.95×), because BLS publishes no controller-specific wage.
Comparison
Controller pay in Iowa vs. national
Iowa's measured accountant median runs -7.5% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Controller — Iowa
estimated median
$151,000
+95.0%Controller — national
estimated median
$163,200
+110.7%All accountants — Iowa
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$77,440
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+8.1%
The controller estimate sits +95.0% above the verified Iowa accountant median and -7.5% versus the national controller estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Iowa market
What shapes controller pay in Iowa
Iowa is an insurance and financial-services hub — Des Moines hosts Principal Financial and a dense cluster of insurers — alongside agriculture and manufacturing. A low cost of living gives Iowa some of the strongest buying-power-adjusted accountant pay in the country.
The controller leads a company's accounting operations — the monthly close, financial reporting, internal controls, and often payroll, AP/AR, and audit coordination. It is typically the most senior technical-accounting role below the CFO.
Pay scales sharply with company size, industry, and complexity, and the CPA license is frequently expected. Controllers at larger companies and in finance- or tech-heavy markets sit at the top of the range.
Role ladder
Controller vs. other roles in Iowa
Each level's multiplier applied to Iowa's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Iowa
On Iowa's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $60,400 (Staff Accountant) to $302,000 (Chief Financial Officer). Controller sits at $151,000.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $302,000 | ||
| Partner | $278,800 | ||
| Director of Finance | $189,700 | ||
| Senior Manager | $158,800 | ||
| Controller | $151,000 | ||
| Tax Manager | $120,000 | ||
| Audit Manager | $120,000 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $110,000 | ||
| Audit Senior | $85,200 | ||
| Tax Senior | $83,600 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $79,000 | ||
| Audit Associate | $64,300 | ||
| Tax Associate | $63,500 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $60,400 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Controller pay by experience in Iowa
Iowa's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the controller level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $129,900 | $145,500 |
| 2–4 years | $145,000 | $162,400 |
| 5–7 years | $163,100 | $182,700 |
| 8–12 years | $181,200 | $202,900 |
| 13–20 years | $199,300 | $223,200 |
| 20+ years | $214,400 | $240,100 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Controller pay by employer type in Iowa
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $169,100 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $158,600 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $148,000 | -5.7% |
| Local firm | $138,900 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $157,000 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Controller pay across Iowa metros
BLS measures 8 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Iowa. The measured median is verified; the controller column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Controller medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Ames | $79,320 | $154,700 |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | $79,290 | $154,600 |
| Sioux City | $78,650 | $153,400 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island | $77,600 | $151,300 |
| Cedar Rapids | $77,180 | $150,500 |
| Iowa City | $75,100 | $146,400 |
| Dubuque | $74,140 | $144,600 |
| Waterloo-Cedar Falls | $73,530 | $143,400 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The controller column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Iowa
Ranked immediately around Iowa (#37 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a controller weighing a move.
Compare states
Controller pay in other states
Where controllers are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Iowa ranks #37 of 51.
Controller salary in Iowa — FAQ
- How much does a Controller make in Iowa?
- A controller in Iowa earns an estimated $151,000 per year, typically ranging from $121,100 to $191,400+. That is -7.5% versus the national controller estimate of $163,200. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no controller-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Iowa median for accountants and auditors ($77,440) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Iowa?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or controllers specifically. For Iowa, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $77,440, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $62,090–$98,150 and 13,210 accountants and auditors employed in Iowa. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Iowa a good state to work as a Controller?
- Iowa ranks #37 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -7.5% versus the national median. Controllers are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Controller in Iowa earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the controller estimate of $151,000 runs +95.0% versus the verified Iowa median for all accountants and auditors ($77,440). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Iowa metro pays controllers the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Ames leads Iowa at $79,320 — about +7.9% versus Waterloo-Cedar Falls ($73,530). Controller pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Iowa controller salary
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