Packers and Packagers, Hand in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,475
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$5,995
16.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,458
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
$37,470
Kept after tax
$31,475
Worth in national money
$35,458
State rank
11
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- This is a good state for the work. Iowa pays packers and packagers, hand a middle wage of $37,470, ranking 11 of 51 states and sitting about 3.28% above the national middle.
- Within Iowa this is lower-paid work. Of 493 occupations the state publishes figures for, packers and packagers, hand ranks 432. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- Here is where Iowa does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $37,470 you keep $31,475, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $35,458 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $38,330, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Iowa's median for packers and packagers, hand is $37,470, about 3.28% above the national figure and 11 of 51 states reporting. Whether that premium reaches the worker depends on the two adjustments below, which is the part a wage table cannot tell you.
- Against every occupation Iowa reports, packers and packagers, hand ranks 432 of 493, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- After federal, FICA and Iowa income tax, retained pay for packers and packagers, hand on $37,470 is $31,475. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $35,458 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 $38,330 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Packers and Packagers, Hand
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,870 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $37,470 |
| Top tenth earn over | $48,000 |
| This salary | $37,470 |
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 | $31,475 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $32,287 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,232 |
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 | $36,459 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,700 |
| 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 $37,470. The published range is $29,870 up to $48,000, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $31,475, from $37,470, 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 432 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 $35,458, the adjusted value of that $37,470 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 432 of 493 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for packers and packagers, hand in Iowa the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $29,870 to $48,000. 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 $31,475 from $37,470. 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 432 of 493 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Iowa, so $35,458 — the adjusted value of that $37,470 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 432 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $29,870 at the tenth percentile, $48,000 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 $35,458 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 $31,475.
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 ($29,870 to $48,000) 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 $35,458 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 $31,475 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.