Skilled trades in Iowa, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in Iowa is elevator installers at a median $115,300 a year. Across the 14 with a published employment count, 93,540 people are employed in Iowa. Each row links to the full wage spread for that trade in the state.
| # | Trade | Median annual | Median hourly | 10th–90th | Employed | vs US | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevator installers | $115,300 | $55.43 | $65,470 – $128,160 | 90 | 5% above | #18 of 37 |
| 2 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $100,200 | $48.17 | $65,310 – $109,980 | 1,390 | 5% above | #26 of 51 |
| 3 | Ironworkers | $77,400 | $37.21 | $59,120 – $81,240 | not published | 23% above | #14 of 50 |
| 4 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $69,440 | $33.38 | $48,480 – $78,980 | 290 | 12% above | #16 of 50 |
| 5 | Sheet metal workers | $66,460 | $31.95 | $43,770 – $91,450 | 1,650 | 8% above | #15 of 50 |
| 6 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $63,890 | $30.72 | $45,510 – $97,500 | 5,730 | about the same as | #26 of 51 |
| 7 | Electricians | $60,860 | $29.26 | $39,770 – $89,480 | 10,310 | 4% below | #40 of 51 |
| 8 | HVAC technicians | $60,680 | $29.17 | $43,040 – $86,280 | 3,840 | 1% below | #27 of 51 |
| 9 | Heavy equipment operators | $60,330 | $29.01 | $46,690 – $87,460 | 5,530 | 1% above | #30 of 51 |
| 10 | Diesel mechanics | $59,680 | $28.69 | $43,710 – $80,080 | 4,140 | 3% below | #33 of 51 |
| 11 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $58,070 | $27.92 | $42,390 – $77,910 | 35,040 | 1% below | #33 of 51 |
| 12 | Carpenters | $57,710 | $27.75 | $39,040 – $76,540 | 5,770 | 5% below | #31 of 51 |
| 13 | Machinists | $57,540 | $27.66 | $44,500 – $71,160 | 2,880 | 2% below | #36 of 51 |
| 14 | Welders | $55,090 | $26.49 | $45,590 – $65,250 | 9,270 | 2% above | #28 of 51 |
| 15 | Auto service technicians | $50,510 | $24.28 | $36,100 – $77,400 | 7,610 | about the same as | #27 of 51 |
"State rank" is where Iowa places on median pay for that trade among the states and DC with a published median; a low number means the state pays well for it. "vs US" compares the Iowa median with the national median for the same trade.
Apprenticeships in Iowa
Registered apprentices in Iowa in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024), under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to each trade, with the median wage apprentices started at and the median at completion in fiscal 2023. A median is shown only where 50 or more apprentices carry the wage. The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024.
| Trade | Active, fiscal 2024 | Started, fiscal 2023 | Median starting wage | Median completing wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 2,233 | 854 | $17.00 | $29.78 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 1,500 | 700 | $19.61 | $30.00 |
| HVAC technicians | 825 | 390 | $17.00 | $22.00 |
| Carpenters | 473 | 239 | $19.00 | $30.20 |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 382 | 140 | $31.55 | $45.22 |
| Sheet metal workers | 304 | 116 | $19.00 | $32.67 |
| Welders | 189 | 135 | $13.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Heavy equipment operators | 123 | 58 | $19.40 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Ironworkers | 116 | 64 | $22.70 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Diesel mechanics | 56 | 21 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Elevator installers | 51 | 23 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 46 | 22 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 30 | 67 | $15.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Machinists | 27 | 9 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 20 | 14 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
Hourly wages, in the dollars of fiscal 2023; the starters and the completers are different people. Each trade links to its count and wages in every state. What a wage comes to a week and a year, at your hours →
Which of these to consider in Iowa
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in Iowa can be the easier one to get hired and stay hired in. Weigh the median against the employment column, and against the training time and licensing each trade demands. Open a trade to see its full percentile spread and how Iowa ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Elevator installers in Iowa · Lineworkers (power-line installers) in Iowa · Ironworkers in Iowa · Brickmasons and blockmasons in Iowa · Sheet metal workers in Iowa · Plumbers and pipefitters in Iowa · Electricians in Iowa · HVAC technicians in Iowa · Heavy equipment operators in Iowa · Diesel mechanics in Iowa · Truck drivers (CDL) in Iowa · Carpenters in Iowa · Machinists in Iowa · Welders in Iowa · Auto service technicians in Iowa
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
No state licensing records are sourced in Iowa yet. Every trade page also gives pay by metro area where BLS publishes it and the registered-apprentice count where the U.S. Department of Labor lists an active apprentice. The pay and employment figures here are the May 2025 BLS estimates; see how the numbers are built.