Civil Engineer Salary in Iowa (2026)
The average Civil Engineer in Iowa earns around $100,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $75,992/year ($6,333/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $75,992 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $6,333 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,923 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $37/hr |
Federal Tax | $13,170 |
State Tax | $3,188 |
FICA Taxes | $7,650 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 24.01% |
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Civil Engineer Salary Ranges in Iowa
Not all Civil Engineers earn the same — not even close
Iowa's civil engineering market is anchored by Iowa Department of Transportation IDOT (the substantial post-2024 IDOT I-80 reconstruction + I-380 expansion + Highway 30 + Highway 20 + Highway 61 corridor + the substantial IDOT Iowa Highway Program), the substantial post-2008 Cedar Rapids flood recovery + post-2024 Cedar Rapids flood resilience infrastructure (the substantial post-2008 Cedar Rapids $1.5B+ flood recovery + 2016 Cedar Rapids flood + the substantial post-2024 Cedar River flood resilience), the substantial post-2020 Iowa derecho cleanup (the substantial August 10 2020 derecho ~$11B Iowa damage as the country's costliest US derecho + the substantial post-2020 Iowa power grid + tree + commercial + agricultural recovery), Salt Lake's I-29 + I-35 + I-80 + I-380 corridor infrastructure, Iowa State University Engineering + UI Civil + Environmental Engineering + Drake Engineering + UNI, plus the substantial IA agricultural infrastructure (the substantial IA #1 US ethanol + tile drainage + irrigation + the substantial IA Cooperative Extension agricultural engineering).
Senior CE (IDOT / Transportation)
$98,000–$148,000+ stipends
IDOT · the substantial post-2024 I-80 reconstruction + I-380 expansion + Highway 30
Senior CE (Post-2008 Flood / Cedar Rapids Resilience)
$105,000–$158,000+ TC
Cedar Rapids + Iowa City flood resilience · post-2008 + 2016 + 2024 recovery + design
Senior CE (Post-2020 Derecho Resilience)
$98,000–$148,000+ TC
August 10 2020 derecho recovery · ~$11B Iowa damage as costliest US derecho
Senior CE (Aviation / Des Moines International)
$98,000–$148,000+ TC
Des Moines International Airport + Quad Cities International + Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport
Senior CE (Mississippi River / Quad Cities)
$95,000–$142,000+ bonus
Mississippi River lock + dam + Quad Cities I-74 bridge + the substantial USACE Rock Island
Senior Structural Engineer
$98,000–$148,000+ TC
Structural at AECOM + HDR + Stanley Consultants Muscatine + WSP IA + private practice
Senior Water / Environmental Engineer
$92,000–$138,000+ bonus
Water + environmental · the substantial IA tile drainage + nutrient management + Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
Senior Construction Manager
$105,000–$158,000+ bonus
Construction management at major IA infrastructure + IDOT + Cedar Rapids flood resilience
Mid-Career CE (3-7 yrs)
$72,000–$108,000
Functional CE at IA firms + IDOT · transitioning to senior band
Junior CE (0-3 yrs)
$58,000–$78,000
ISU + UI + UNI + Drake Civil Engineering pipeline · entry band
Worth knowing: Iowa post-2008 Cedar Rapids flood recovery + post-2020 derecho recovery is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state climate resilience civil engineering anchor and a feature most national CE surveys understate for IA. The substantial post-2008 Cedar Rapids flood recovery (the substantial June 13 2008 Cedar Rapids flood ~$1.5B+ damage + the substantial post-2008 Cedar Rapids $1.5B+ flood recovery + post-2008 ACE Cedar River flood management + 2016 Cedar Rapids flood second-largest IA flood + the substantial post-2024 Cedar Rapids flood resilience infrastructure investment) supports substantial IA flood resilience CE. The substantial post-2020 Iowa derecho recovery (the substantial August 10 2020 derecho ~$11B Iowa damage as the country's costliest US derecho event + the substantial post-2020 Iowa power grid + tree + commercial + agricultural building recovery + the substantial post-2020 Iowa post-derecho insurance + rebuild + the substantial post-2020 Iowa derecho mitigation engineering) supports substantial IA disaster recovery CE. Iowa Department of Transportation IDOT (the substantial post-2024 IDOT I-80 reconstruction + I-380 expansion + Highway 30 + Highway 20 + Highway 61 corridor + the substantial IDOT Iowa Highway Program + the substantial IDOT post-2024 IIJA federal infrastructure funding) supports substantial IA transportation CE. Mississippi River lock + dam + USACE Rock Island District + the substantial IA #1 US ethanol agricultural infrastructure + Iowa State Engineering + UI Civil Engineering. IA flat 3.8% + IA RTW since 1947 + IA inheritance tax repealed Jan 1 2025 anchor the IA CE proposition.
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More on Iowa
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Iowa in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Iowa in 2026.
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