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Iowa County Sheriff's Office entry pay
What this agency pays a new officer to start, and how that compares with the rest of the country.
Entry pay onlyEvery salary here is what an officer is paid on day one, out of the academy — base pay on a 40-hour week, with no overtime, shift differential, specialty or education pay counted. Nobody stays on it.
Iowa County Sheriff's Office starts at $85,550 a year — about $41.13 an hour on a 2,080-hour year, before overtime. That is $17,160 above the median of the 1,681 agencies on this list, and $20,176 above the median for county agencies.
Cost of livingPrices in rural Iowa run about 16% below the national average, so this goes about as far as $101,752 would somewhere at average prices — $16,202 more than the headline figure. Most of that is rent, at 51 against a national average of 100, where goods are 94. Based on price levels for the non-metropolitan part of this state, because this agency is outside every metro area, from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. The salary above is what the employer publishes; this line is our arithmetic on it, and nothing on this site is ranked on it.
How big the department isIowa County Sheriff's Office reported 14 sworn officers and 17 civilian staff to the FBI for 2025.No rate is shown: this agency does not police a single population the FBI publishes a figure for. Reporting to the FBI is voluntary, so a count can reflect a partial return as easily as a small agency, and the FBI asks that agencies not be compared on staffing. Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Full-time Law Enforcement Employees, 2025.
What Iowa County says about itself
It is the mission of the Iowa County Sheriff's Office to provide safe and efficient service to the citizens of Iowa County.
What Iowa County does
Iowa County Sheriff's Office states that its primary function is enforcement of laws and that its deputies have powers of arrest and apprehension. Its mission is to provide safe and efficient service, equal enforcement and protection of the law without prejudice or favor, a humane and secure jail, and security for the courts and judicial system.
Where the figure comes from
Checked 8 August 2026. Iowa County, Iowa official employment page — — open the source document
The source page does not state an effective date.
Entry-level base salary only. Overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift
differentials, locality pay and lateral rates are excluded, so most officers earn more
than this.
How this level compares
Where Iowa County sits is partly about the agency and partly about which level of policing it belongs to. The three levels do not pay the same.
| Level | Lowest | Median | Highest | Agencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | $35,006 | $71,287 | $163,619 | 1046 |
| County | $36,492 | $65,374 | $132,263 | 416 |
| Special jurisdiction | $31,200 | $60,195 | $107,954 | 69 |
| State | $33,994 | $64,998 | $102,692 | 143 |
| Federal | $70,477 | $73,502 | $86,530 | 5 |
| Territory | $16,640 | $28,236 | $43,354 | 9 |
Federal agencies pay the most to start
The middle federal agency starts at $73,502 — about $2,200 more than the middle municipal agency and about $8,100 more than the middle county agency and about $13,300 more than the middle special jurisdiction agency and about $8,500 more than the middle state agency and about $45,300 more than the middle territory agency. Iowa County starts at $85,550, so $20,176 above the county middle.
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How it ranks
Common questions
How much does a Iowa County Sheriff's Office officer make?
Iowa County Sheriff's Office starts a new officer on $85,550 a year, about $41.13 an hour on a 2,080-hour year. That is base salary before overtime, bonuses, education incentives, shift differentials and locality pay, so most serving officers earn more. The figure comes from Iowa County, Iowa official employment page —.
Is that good pay for a police officer in Iowa?
It ranks #1 of 28 agencies we have verified in Iowa — the highest in the state in the state — and #281 of 1,681 nationally. Against the national median it is $17,160 above, and against other county agencies $20,176 above.
Compare with another department
Put Iowa County Sheriff's Office side by side with any other agency on the site — the two salaries, what each is worth once local prices are counted, and which comes out ahead.
The agencies either side of it
Other agencies in IA
| # | Agency | Level | Sworn # | Entry pay | Vs Iowa | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Des Moines Police Department | Municipal | 367 | $84,635 | −$915 | #297 |
| 3 | Norwalk Police Department | Municipal | 22 | $76,710 | −$8,840 | #486 |
| 4 | Ankeny Police Department | Municipal | 78 | $76,648 | −$8,902 | #491 |
| 5 | Urbandale Police Department | Municipal | 58 | $76,028 | −$9,522 | #516 |
| 6 | Woodbury County Sheriff's Office | County | 44 | $73,944 | −$11,606 | #597 |
| 7 | Linn County Sheriff's Office | County | 120 | $73,216 | −$12,334 | #616 |
| 8 | Chickasaw County Sheriff's Office | County | 10 | $71,822 | −$13,728 | #678 |
| 9 | Mason City Police Department | Municipal | 40 | $71,448 | −$14,102 | #698 |
| 10 | Johnson County Sheriff's Office | County | 81 | $70,871 | −$14,679 | #732 |
| 11 | Iowa Department of Natural Resources — Conservation Law Enforcement | State | — | $70,574 | −$14,976 | #742 |
| 12 | Davenport Police Department | Municipal | 143 | $70,322 | −$15,228 | #752 |
| 13 | Clinton County Sheriff's Office | County | 30 | $70,200 | −$15,350 | #759 |
Base pay is only part of the year
Whatever the figure above, the rotation is what decides your year — which weekends you lose, when the changeovers land, what you can plan around. Save yours once and BlueShifts shows it a year ahead, with the off-duty jobs you take and what each one paid.
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