Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$30,204
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$5,606
15.7% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$34,027
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
$35,810
Kept after tax
$30,204
Worth in national money
$34,027
State rank
37
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa is among the lower-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $35,810, ranking 37 of 51 states — about 4.38% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Measured against other jobs in Iowa, this one sits low: 450 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $35,810 you keep $30,204 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $34,027 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $35,260.
- Iowa ranks 37 of 51 for cooks, institution and cafeteria, with a median of $35,810 — about 4.38% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Cooks, institution and cafeteria occupies position 450 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 $30,204 after the full tax stack, from $35,810. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $34,027 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $35,260 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $28,030 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $35,810 |
| Top tenth earn over | $44,150 |
| This salary | $35,810 |
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 | $30,204 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $30,953 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,173 |
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 | $34,878 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,628 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $35,810 as a midpoint for Iowa, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $28,030 and the ninetieth is $44,150 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $30,204, from $35,810, 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 450 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 $34,027, the adjusted value of that $35,810 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 450 of 493 in the state.
- The Iowa median of $35,810 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $28,030 to $44,150. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Iowa is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $30,204 from $35,810. 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 450 of 493 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $34,027 — the adjusted value of that $35,810 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 450 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $28,030 at the tenth percentile, $44,150 at the ninetieth.
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 $34,027.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Iowa's own levy, $30,204 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($28,030 to $44,150) 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 $34,027 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 $30,204 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.