Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,289
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$5,631
15.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,121
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
$35,920
Kept after tax
$30,289
Worth in national money
$34,121
State rank
23
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa sits in the middle of the pack for this job. The median is $35,920, ranking 23 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Measured against other jobs in Iowa, this one sits low: 448 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $35,920 you keep $30,289 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $34,121 at national prices. Averages run higher here, $36,040, since top earners drag the number up.
- Iowa occupies the middle band for cleaners of vehicles and equipment: a median of $35,920, ranking 23 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Cleaners of vehicles and equipment occupies position 448 of 493 in Iowa's occupational wage distribution, in the bottom quartile. National ranking and local ranking answer different questions and frequently disagree; this is the one a resident experiences.
- Retained pay in Iowa is $30,289 after the full tax stack, from $35,920. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $34,121 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $36,040 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $28,120 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $35,920 |
| Top tenth earn over | $45,370 |
| This salary | $35,920 |
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 | $30,289 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $31,042 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,177 |
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 | $34,983 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,633 |
| 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 $35,920. The published range is $28,120 up to $45,370, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $30,289, from $35,920, 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 448 of 493 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Iowa, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $34,121, the adjusted value of that $35,920 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 448 of 493 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for cleaners of vehicles and equipment in Iowa the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $28,120 to $45,370. 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 $30,289 from $35,920. 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 448 of 493 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $34,121 — the adjusted value of that $35,920 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 448 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $28,120 at the tenth percentile, $45,370 at the ninetieth.
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 $34,121 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 $30,289.
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 ($28,120 to $45,370) 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 $34,121 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 $30,289 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.