Helpers--Production Workers in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,668
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$7,892
17.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$42,435
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
$45,560
Kept after tax
$37,668
Worth in national money
$42,435
State rank
3
of 49 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Iowa pays helpers--production workers a middle wage of $45,560, ranking 3 of 49 states and sitting about 16.61% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Iowa reports figures for, this is number 364.
- Here is where Iowa does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $45,560 you keep $37,668, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $42,435 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $45,840, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Iowa's median for helpers--production workers is $45,560, about 16.61% above the national figure and 3 of 49 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- In Iowa's occupational distribution, helpers--production workers sits at 364 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.
- After federal, FICA and Iowa income tax, retained pay for helpers--production workers on $45,560 is $37,668. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $42,435 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 $45,840 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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Pay band: Helpers--Production Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $34,850 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $45,560 |
| Top tenth earn over | $54,390 |
| This salary | $45,560 |
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 | $37,668 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,787 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,520 |
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 | $44,167 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,047 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $45,560 as a midpoint for Iowa, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $34,850 and the ninetieth is $54,390 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Iowa's $37,668, worked from $45,560. 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 364 of 493.
- One number stands for prices across all of Iowa, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $42,435, the adjusted value of that $45,560 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 364 of 493 in the state.
- The Iowa median of $45,560 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $34,850 to $54,390. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- The Iowa take-home of $37,668, on $45,560 for work ranking 364 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 364 of 493 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $42,435 — the adjusted value of that $45,560 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 364 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $34,850 at the tenth percentile, $54,390 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 $42,435 in national terms.
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, $37,668 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 49 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 ($34,850 to $54,390) 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 $42,435 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 $37,668 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 49 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.