Pharmacy Technicians in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$37,132
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$7,728
17.2% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$41,831
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
$44,860
Kept after tax
$37,132
Worth in national money
$41,831
State rank
29
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Neither high nor low. Iowa is 29 of 51 states for pharmacy technicians, with a middle wage of $44,860. What that is worth is the question the rest of this page answers.
- Within Iowa this is lower-paid work. Of 493 occupations the state publishes figures for, pharmacy technicians ranks 375. 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 $44,860 you keep $37,132, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $41,831 would elsewhere. The average is lower, $44,340, so pay clusters nearer the top than usual.
- Iowa ranks 29 of 51 for pharmacy technicians at $44,860. The nominal figure is unremarkable; the adjusted figures are where the state's actual position for this occupation is determined.
- Against every occupation Iowa reports, pharmacy technicians ranks 375 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 pharmacy technicians on $44,860 is $37,132. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $41,831 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 $44,340 falls below the median, a left skew that is uncommon in wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Pharmacy Technicians
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $36,140 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $44,860 |
| Top tenth earn over | $52,150 |
| This salary | $44,860 |
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 | $37,132 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $38,225 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,495 |
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 | $43,500 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$3,017 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of pharmacy technicians in Iowa earn under $44,860 and half over. The published range runs $36,140 at the tenth percentile to $52,150 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Iowa's $37,132, worked from $44,860. 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 375 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $41,831 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 375.
- Figures are distribution medians for pharmacy technicians in Iowa, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $36,140 to $52,150; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Iowa take-home of $37,132, on $44,860 for work ranking 375 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 375 of 493 in the state.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $41,831, worked from $44,860, 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 375 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $36,140 at the tenth percentile, $52,150 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 $41,831 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
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, $37,132 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 ($36,140 to $52,150) 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 $41,831 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 $37,132 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.