How much does a welder make in Iowa?
The median wage for welders in Iowa is $55,090 a year, or $26.49 an hour.
Half earn more than that and half earn less. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage survey for May 2025.
Median pay · Iowa
$55,090A year, or $26.49 an hour.Take-home a month$3,750After federal, state and FICA tax at 18.3%
Worth at national prices$62,772Prices here sit at 87.8 against 100
Against the nation2.5% aboveNational median $53,750
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileEntry and lowest-paid | $45,590 | $21.92 |
| 25th percentile | $48,250 | $23.20 |
| MedianHalf earn more, half less | $55,090 | $26.49 |
| 75th percentile | $60,200 | $28.94 |
| 90th percentileMost experienced and senior | $65,250 | $31.37 |
| MeanThe average, pulled up by the top | $55,580 | $26.72 |
How we got this
- Median wage in IowaBLS OEWS May 2025. Half of welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers earned more than this, half less.$55,090
- Median hourly wagePublished separately by BLS, not divided out of the annual figure.$26.49
- Take-home after federal, state and FICA tax$3,750 a month at an effective rate of 18.3%.$45,003 a year
- Worth at national average pricesPrices in Iowa sit at 87.8 against a national 100 (BEA, 2024).$62,772
- Against the national medianThe national median is $53,750.2.5% above
- Jobs countedA concentration of 2.22 against the nation's 1.00.9,270
What we assumed
- Wages are BLS OEWS survey estimates for May 2025, not job postings or offers.
- OEWS surveys wage and salary workers. The self-employed and business owners are outside it.
- Take-home assumes one 2026 filer, filing single, taking the standard deduction, with no dependents, pre-tax retirement contributions or local income tax.
- Regional price parities compare price levels between places in one year. They are not inflation, and they do not adjust for what a household actually buys.
Technical details
Method occupation-wage-v1Data bls-oews-2025-05-v1, us-tax-2026-v1, bea-rpp-2024-v1, census-acs5-2024-v1
What lands in the bank
A $55,090 salary in Iowa, for one single filer taking the standard deduction in 2026.
- Federal income tax. $4,431 a year.
- State income tax. $1,442 a year.
- Social Security and Medicare. $4,214 a year.
- Left over. $45,003 a year, $3,750 a month, an effective rate of 18.3%.
What $55,090 is worth in Iowa
Prices in Iowa sit at 87.8 against a national average of 100, so $55,090 earned here buys what $62,772 buys at national average prices.
- Rents. 65.3 against 100, the component that moves most between states.
- Against local households. The median household in Iowa takes in $75,059, so this occupation's median is 0.73 times that, on one income.
- How common the job is here. 122% more concentrated in Iowa than in the country as a whole.
Common questions
Welder pay in Iowa, answered
What is the take-home pay for a welder in Iowa?
On the median wage of $55,090, one filer taking the standard deduction keeps about $45,003 a year, or roughly $3,750 a month.
That is after federal, state and FICA tax, an effective rate of 18.3%.
Iowa takes $1,442 of it in state income tax.
Do welders earn more in Iowa than in the rest of the country?
Yes. The median in Iowa is 2.5% above the national median of $53,750.
Nominal pay is only half the comparison: prices in Iowa sit at 87.8 against a national 100, so the gap in what the money buys is different from the gap in the salary.
Is $55,090 a good salary in Iowa?
It is 0.73 times the median household income of $75,059. A household often has more than one earner, so a single salary at this level goes further than the ratio alone suggests.
Prices in Iowa run at 87.8 against a national average of 100, with rents at 65.3, so $55,090 here buys about what $62,772 buys at national average prices.
What do the highest-paid welders earn in Iowa?
The top tenth earn $65,250 a year or more, against $45,590 at the bottom tenth.
Experience, specialism, employer and the part of Iowa someone works in all move a wage inside that range; the survey reports the spread, not the reason for it.
How many welders are there in Iowa?
The survey counted 9,270 of these jobs in Iowa for May 2025.
That makes the occupation 122% more concentrated here than in the country as a whole. It counts wage and salary jobs, so the self-employed are outside it.