Coal samples were collected from four coal mines in Iowa and analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) for La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu, Sc, Cr, Co, As, Th, and U. A comparison of the compositions of whole coals to their high-temperature ashes indicates that essentially all of these elements reside in the ash. The abundance of most elements is consistent with a trend of decreasing elemental concentrations from east to west in United States coals. Pyrite separates were found to concentrate As, Cr and Co, while calcite separates were found to concentrate Sc. Rare earth element (REE) patterns are given for the Iowa coals