Couriers and Messengers in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,233
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$6,227
16.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,312
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
$38,460
Kept after tax
$32,233
Worth in national money
$36,312
State rank
31
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa sits in the middle of the pack for couriers and messengers. The median is $38,460, ranking 31 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: 422 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Iowa is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $38,460 the take-home is $32,233; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $36,312 would nationally. The average sits at $38,460, the same as the middle.
- Iowa occupies the middle band for couriers and messengers: a median of $38,460, ranking 31 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.
- Couriers and messengers occupies position 422 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.
- Post-tax income for couriers and messengers in Iowa, on $38,460, is $32,233 — equivalent to $36,312 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. Mean and median are identical at $38,460, unusual in wage data and worth noting.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Couriers and Messengers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $32,180 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,460 |
| Top tenth earn over | $42,840 |
| This salary | $38,460 |
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 | $32,233 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,083 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,267 |
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 | $37,403 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,742 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $38,460 as a midpoint for Iowa, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $32,180 and the ninetieth is $42,840 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $32,233, from $38,460, 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 422 of 493 occupations here.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $36,312 uses one figure for the whole of Iowa. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 422.
- The Iowa median of $38,460 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $32,180 to $42,840. 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 $32,233 from $38,460. 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 422 of 493 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $36,312, worked from $38,460, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Iowa address, on work sitting at 422 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $32,180 at the tenth percentile, $42,840 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Iowa sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $36,312 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Iowa adds its own income tax on top — which is why $32,233 of this wage survives to your account.
Can I compare this job across every state?
This occupation is published everywhere — all 51 of them — so comparing states measures real differences rather than gaps in the data.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($32,180 to $42,840) 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 $36,312 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 $32,233 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.