Best Patient Care Technician Programs in Iowa (2026)

Quick answer: Patient care technicians in Iowa earn a median of $39,350 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited patient care technician schools in Iowa with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Looking for patient care technician schools in Iowa? The programs below combine classroom instruction with hands-on practice. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $39,350 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Iowa Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$39,350BLS OEWS, May 2025
Iowa pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$35,620 to $47,980BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Iowa metro for this fieldDes Moines, IA, $43,940BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.3% growth, about 204,100 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment22,670 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Iowa location quotient1.56BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Patient care technician Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Iowa figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 157 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

Fennimore, WI 139.2 miles away BOC Score 65.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 59.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 70
  • Annual completions: 946
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,757 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

South Central College

North Mankato, MN 127.7 miles away BOC Score 60.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 56
  • Annual completions: 515
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,003 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Riverland Community College

Austin, MN 88.3 miles away BOC Score 59.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 52.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 66
  • Annual completions: 657
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,768 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Western Iowa Tech Community College

Sioux City, IA 156.9 miles away BOC Score 57.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 44.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 57
  • Annual completions: 2406
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,713 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Southwestern Community College

Creston, IA 108.8 miles away BOC Score 57.2
Tuition $8,064 - $16,951
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 56.4%
  • Programs offered: 25
  • Annual completions: 551
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,650 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

North Iowa Area Community College

Mason City, IA 52.2 miles away BOC Score 57.1
Tuition $6,653 - $17,040
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 57.8%
  • Programs offered: 48
  • Annual completions: 628
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,068 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Western Technical College

La Crosse, WI 140.7 miles away BOC Score 56.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 36.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 84
  • Annual completions: 1710
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,114 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, IA 47.8 miles away BOC Score 54.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57
  • Annual completions: 990
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,682 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Rochester Community and Technical College

Rochester, MN 118.6 miles away BOC Score 50.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 27.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 45
  • Annual completions: 653
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,258 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA 154.7 miles away BOC Score 50.1
Tuition $6,420 - $17,371
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 43.4%
  • Programs offered: 34
  • Annual completions: 1015
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,941 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA 151.8 miles away BOC Score 48.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 1205
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,139 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Eastern Iowa Community College District

Davenport, IA 151.4 miles away BOC Score 47.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 39.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 49
  • Annual completions: 1489
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,929 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Patient Care Technician Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Nursing Assistants
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $33940, P25 $37260, P50 $42260, P75 $47220, P90 $51980.10th$33,94025th$37,26050th (median)$42,26075th$47,22090th$51,980
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$33,940
25th$37,260
50th (median)$42,260
75th$47,220
90th$51,980
Projected employment growth, United States, Nursing Assistants, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 1.4415e+06; 2034 projected employment 1.474e+06; percent change +2.3%.20241,441,500 jobs2034 (proj.)1,474,000 jobsChange: +2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
20241,441,500
2034 projected1,474,000
Percent change+2.3%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does patient care technician training take in Iowa?

Patient care technician certificate programs in Iowa typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do patient care technicians earn in Iowa?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), patient care technicians in Iowa earned a median annual wage of approximately $39,350. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $35,620 to $47,980 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many patient care technician schools are in Iowa?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)