Top Occupations in Iowa by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Iowa. 81 occupations, $1.5M in donations from Iowa.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Iowa reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Iowa, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationIowa TotalNational Total
1INSURANCE BROKER$209K$8.0M
2FARMING$110K$1.9M
3GROCERY MANAGER$109K$151K
4MARKET MANAGER$83K$324K
5DISTRICT STORE DIRECTOR$52K$76K
6PATHOLOGIST$51K$918K
7CHAIRMAN EMERITUS$51K$5.0M
8TRANSPORTATION$46K$1.2M
9HOTEL OWNER$43K$343K
10LABORER$42K$8.7M
11RESEARCH PROFESSOR$40K$835K
12PORK PRODUCER$40K$157K
13PT$38K$858K
14CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT & CEO$31K$450K
15LAW$28K$942K
16STORE MANAGER$26K$654K
17GOVERNOR$23K$13.4M
18LANDLORD$20K$747K
19FARM MANAGER$19K$499K
20FARM$18K$261K
21CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST$18K$107K
22FAMILY PHYSICIAN$17K$578K
23PA$16K$296K
24MICROBIOLOGIST$16K$199K
25POSTAL CLERK$15K$380K
26AGRIBUSINESS$15K$251K
27GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE$14K$195K
28ELECTRONICS ENGINEER$13K$186K
29VICE PRESIDENT/GENERAL MANAGER$13K$494K
30PLANT MANAGER$12K$366K
31COMMUNITY BANKER$12K$314K
32CRO$11K$376K
33RETAIL SALES$11K$325K
34POSTMASTER$11K$197K
35AGENT ADVISOR$11K$167K
36CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANT$11K$137K
37GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS$11K$103K
38STATE LEGISLATOR$10K$199K
39CROP INSURANCE$9K$219K
40DIVISION MANAGER$9K$186K
41AVP$9K$178K
42VISUAL ARTIST$8K$513K
43AVIATION$8K$220K
44BUSINESS MGR$7K$92K
45RETIRED PROFESSOR$7K$150K
46VP OF SALES$7K$248K
47HEALTH POLICY$7K$265K
48REGISTERED DIETITIAN$7K$248K
49LABOR$7K$146K
50SPINE SURGEON$7K$98K
51PHOTOGRAPHY$7K$105K
52VP & TREASURER$6K$124K
53CSR$6K$165K
54GEN MGMT - EXEC$6K$125K
55OFFICE MGR$6K$242K
56VC$6K$885K
57LIBRARY DIRECTOR$5K$79K
58CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER$5K$147K
59COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR$5K$159K
60CORPORATE CONTROLLER$5K$70K
61TAX DIRECTOR$5K$112K
62BANK EXAMINER$5K$89K
63TERRITORY MANAGER$5K$79K
64ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN$5K$150K
65COUNTY SUPERVISOR$4K$124K
66CLO$4K$283K
67AGRONOMIST$4K$74K
68DATA SCIENCE$4K$145K
69ASSOCIATE BROKER$4K$72K
70BUSINESS CONSULTING$3K$228K
71CEO/GENERAL MANAGER$3K$63K
72PLAN PRESIDENT & CEO$3K$159K
73HEALTHCARE PROVIDER$3K$95K
74APPLICATION DEVELOPER$3K$90K
75FARM OWNER$3K$123K
76CONTENT CREATOR$2K$108K
77NONE PROVIDED$2K$82K
78PARAEDUCATOR$2K$97K
79DISTRICT SALES MANAGER$2K$70K
80GEN ENGRG - EXEC$2K$78K
81SITE RELIABILITY ENGINEER$1K$93K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Iowa?

The top political donors by occupation in Iowa typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 81 tracked occupations, Iowa residents have contributed $1.5M to federal campaigns.

Does Iowa's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Iowa and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Iowa Data

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