Iowa · 2026 pay · 298 people
How much does a research assistant make in Iowa?
$32,946typical pay for a research assistant in 2026
$6,566 – $45,348what most people earned
Includes everyone paid during 2026, including part-year workers. Typical pay fell 2.9% from 2025.
✓ Official data from Iowa Department of Administrative Services · Matches the agency's latest release · data.iowa.gov ↗
Where research assistants work
Typical pay at each employer, 2026 (everyone paid).
Related jobs and the next step up
Same line of work at a different rank, by typical pay (full-year employees where we can tell).
- Research Intern$32,447 (everyone)
- Research Assistant (this page)$32,946 (everyone)
- Research Associate$57,156 (everyone)
- Research Manager$80,714 (everyone)
- Manager Research$103,198 (everyone)
Highest-paid research assistants, 2026
- 1Martins, Ines HusseneResearch Assistant · University of Iowa$70,608
- 2Tomanek-Chalkley, Ann MarieResearch Assistant · University of Iowa$65,215
- 3Summers, Karen MarieResearch Assistant · University of Iowa$63,872
- 4Wang, XiaofangResearch Assistant · University of Iowa$63,258
- 5Geary, ElizabethResearch Assistant · University of Iowa$62,954
Common questions
How much does a research assistant make in Iowa?
The typical research assistant was paid $32,946 in 2026; most earned between $6,566 and $45,348. This counts all 298 people paid, including part-year workers.
Which job titles are included?
Everyone whose payroll title is Research Assistant, at any level (for example "Research Assistant"). Part-time-schedule titles (such as "20 hours") are left out. Senior, supervising and trainee titles have their own pages.
Job titles are written out in full from the payroll's abbreviations (for example "SR CRRECTNL POLC OFCR" → "Senior Correctional Police Officer"). "Typical pay" is the median; "most earned" is the middle half. How we calculate this