Carpenters in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$46,969
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$10,741
18.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$52,912
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
$57,710
Kept after tax
$46,969
Worth in national money
$52,912
State rank
31
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Middling, nationally. Iowa pays carpenters around $57,710 at the midpoint, 31 of 51 states. The interesting numbers on this page are the two below it.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. Carpenters ranks 247 among 493 occupations Iowa publishes pay for.
- Here is where Iowa does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $57,710 you keep $46,969, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $52,912 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $57,640, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- For carpenters the Iowa median is $57,710, ranking 31 of 51 states reporting. Mid-band nominal positions are the ones most frequently reordered by the adjustments, because no large wage premium exists to absorb a state's tax or price level.
- Position 247 of 493 in Iowa places carpenters in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Iowa income tax, retained pay for carpenters on $57,710 is $46,969. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $52,912 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 $57,640 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
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Pay band: Carpenters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,040 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $57,710 |
| Top tenth earn over | $76,540 |
| This salary | $57,710 |
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 | $46,969 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $48,550 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,951 |
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 | $55,742 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,569 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Iowa earn less than $57,710. The published range is $39,040 up to $76,540, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $46,969, from $57,710, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 247 of 493 occupations here.
- Two cautions on $52,912, the adjusted value of that $57,710 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Iowa. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 247 of 493 locally.
- Reported values are medians; for carpenters in Iowa the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $39,040 to $76,540. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Iowa is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $46,969 from $57,710. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 247 of 493 locally.
- This $52,912 adjusted figure, worked from $57,710, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 247 of 493 in the state. The occupation ranks 247 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $39,040 and the top tenth $76,540, so most people doing this work in Iowa sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Iowa is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $52,912 in national terms.
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 $46,969.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($39,040 to $76,540) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Iowa rather than a national figure.
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 $52,912 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 $46,969 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.