Carpet Installers in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$45,599
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$10,321
18.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,369
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
$55,920
Kept after tax
$45,599
Worth in national money
$51,369
State rank
13
of 45 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa is one of the better-paying states for carpet installers. The middle earner takes $55,920, which ranks 13 of 45 states with published figures. That is about 11.08% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Iowa reports figures for, this is number 259.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $55,920 you keep $45,599 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $51,369 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $57,390, since top earners drag the number up.
- Iowa ranks 13 of 45 states publishing a median for carpet installers, at $55,920 — about 11.08% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- In Iowa's occupational distribution, carpet installers sits at 259 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.
- Retained pay in Iowa is $45,599 after the full tax stack, from $55,920. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $51,369 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $57,390 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
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Pay band: Carpet Installers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $39,150 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $55,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $74,720 |
| This salary | $55,920 |
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 | $45,599 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $47,112 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,888 |
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 | $54,037 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,492 |
| 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 carpet installers in Iowa earn under $55,920 and half over. The published range runs $39,150 at the tenth percentile to $74,720 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Iowa's $45,599, worked from $55,920. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 259 of 493.
- One number stands for prices across all of Iowa, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,369, the adjusted value of that $55,920 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 259 of 493 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for carpet installers in Iowa, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $39,150 to $74,720; 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.
- The Iowa take-home of $45,599, on $55,920 for work ranking 259 of 493 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 259 of 493 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $51,369 — the adjusted value of that $55,920 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 259 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $39,150 at the bottom tenth to $74,720 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
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 $51,369.
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 $45,599.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 45 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($39,150 to $74,720) 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 $51,369 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 $45,599 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.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 45 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.