Print Binding and Finishing Workers in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$32,486
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$6,304
16.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$36,596
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
$38,790
Kept after tax
$32,486
Worth in national money
$36,596
State rank
39
of 50 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa is among the lower-paying states for print binding and finishing workers. The middle earner takes $38,790, ranking 39 of 50 states — about 8.28% 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: 417 of 493 occupations with published pay, in the bottom quarter.
- Iowa is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $38,790 the take-home is $32,486; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $36,596 would nationally. The average comes to $42,410, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Iowa ranks 39 of 50 for print binding and finishing workers, with a median of $38,790 — about 8.28% 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.
- Print binding and finishing workers occupies position 417 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 print binding and finishing workers in Iowa, on $38,790, is $32,486 — equivalent to $36,596 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. At $42,410 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
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Pay band: Print Binding and Finishing Workers
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $31,030 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,790 |
| Top tenth earn over | $58,080 |
| This salary | $38,790 |
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 | $32,486 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,348 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,279 |
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 | $37,717 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,756 |
| 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 print binding and finishing workers in Iowa earn under $38,790 and half over. The published range runs $31,030 at the tenth percentile to $58,080 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Iowa the take-home figure of $32,486, from $38,790, 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 417 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 $36,596 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 417.
- Figures are distribution medians for print binding and finishing workers in Iowa, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $31,030 to $58,080; 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.
- Take-home for Iowa is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $32,486 from $38,790. 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 417 of 493 locally.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $36,596, worked from $38,790, 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 417 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $42,410, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $31,030 and the top tenth $58,080, so most people doing this work in Iowa sit within a fairly tight band.
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 $36,596.
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 $32,486.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 50 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Iowa is $42,410. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($31,030 to $58,080) 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 $36,596 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 $32,486 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 50 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.