Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$41,457
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$9,053
17.9% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$46,703
Iowa costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Iowa — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$50,510
Kept after tax
$41,457
Worth in national money
$46,703
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Iowa is 27 of 51 states for this job, with a middle wage of $50,510. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Iowa reports figures for, this is number 290.
- Here is where Iowa does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $50,510 you keep $41,457, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $46,703 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $55,310, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Iowa ranks 27 of 51 for automotive service technicians and mechanics at $50,510. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- In Iowa's occupational distribution, automotive service technicians and mechanics sits at 290 of 493 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and Iowa income tax, retained pay for automotive service technicians and mechanics on $50,510 is $41,457. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $46,703 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $55,310 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,100 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $50,510 |
| Top tenth earn over | $77,400 |
| This salary | $50,510 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Iowa | $41,457 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $42,765 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,695 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $48,883 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,260 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of automotive service technicians and mechanics in Iowa earn under $50,510 and half over. The published range runs $36,100 at the tenth percentile to $77,400 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- That $41,457 take-home in Iowa comes from $50,510. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 290 of 493.
- One number stands for prices across all of Iowa, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $46,703, the adjusted value of that $50,510 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 290 of 493 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for automotive service technicians and mechanics in Iowa, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,100 to $77,400; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Retained pay of $41,457, from $50,510, assumes a single Iowa filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 290 of 493 locally, and the state ranks 27 of 51 for it.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $46,703 — the adjusted value of that $50,510 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 290 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $55,310, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $36,100 at the bottom tenth to $77,400 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $46,703.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Iowa then takes its own share, leaving $41,457.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Iowa is $55,310. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($36,100) and the ninetieth ($77,400) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Iowa's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $46,703 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $41,457 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Iowa income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.