How much does an Electrician make in Iowa?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $62,880 for Electricians in Iowa as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,010 and the 75th-percentile is $80,200.

What does the top of the Electrician pay scale look like in Iowa?

The 90th percentile lands at $86,890. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $80,200.

How many Electricians does Iowa employ?

BLS OES counts 8,900 Electricians employed in Iowa in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for Iowa different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Iowa's overall index of 88.8 reflects rents 66.0, services 87.3, and goods 96.6.

When does this data update?

BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.

How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Iowa?

Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Iowa markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.

How long is the electrician apprenticeship in Iowa?

Iowa typically requires 4 years (8,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus classroom hours before the journeyman exam. Apprenticeship pay starts at roughly 40-50% of journeyman scale and steps up annually. Many Iowa apprentices reach full journeyman pay 5-6 years after starting.

Iowa Electrician Salary: BLS $63K Median, Real $71K (2026)

TL;DR

Iowa pays Electricians a BLS median of $62,880 — the more useful number is $70,836, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
Cost of living below the national index lifts real wage by $7,956 over the nominal — a take-home arbitrage that nominal-ranking tables miss.
BLS percentile breakdown: P10 $38,950 · P25 $48,010 · P75 $80,200 · P90 $86,890.
Nominal: #28/51 · Real: #19/51 — ranking shifts by 9 positions after RPP.

Wage breakdown — Iowa

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,950	$43,878
P25 (lower quartile)	$48,010	$54,084
P50 (median)	$62,880	$70,836
P75 (upper quartile)	$80,200	$90,347
P90 (top tier)	$86,890	$97,883
Mean	$63,910	$71,996
Employment	8,900 Electricians in Iowa

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Iowa index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	88.8
Goods	96.6
Services	87.3
Rents	66.0

Iowa sits below the national baseline (RPP 88.8), so nominal pay translates to a higher real wage than the BLS median suggests — particularly visible in rents at 66.0.

After-tax take-home — Iowa (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Electrician)	$62,880	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$5,408	8.6% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$1,791	3.8% flat (2026, SF 2417 fully phased)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$4,810	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$50,871	80.9% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$57,307	÷ (88.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Iowa state-tax burden means for Electrician take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 2.8% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $50,871 (80.9% of gross). After the 88.8 RPP, real take-home is $57,307.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $62,350 for Electricians with mean pay of $69,630 and total employment of 742,580. Iowa sits at #28 on nominal pay and #19 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Iowa climbs 9 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an Electrician make in Iowa?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $62,880 for Electricians in Iowa as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $48,010 and the 75th-percentile is $80,200.
What does the top of the Electrician pay scale look like in Iowa?: The 90th percentile lands at $86,890. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $80,200.
How many Electricians does Iowa employ?: BLS OES counts 8,900 Electricians employed in Iowa in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for Iowa different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Iowa's overall index of 88.8 reflects rents 66.0, services 87.3, and goods 96.6.
When does this data update?: BLS OES releases a new May reference set roughly each spring; we re-run the ETL pipeline within two weeks of release. BEA RPP refreshes annually. The last-synced timestamp at the top of this page reflects the most recent build.
How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Iowa?: Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Iowa markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.
How long is the electrician apprenticeship in Iowa?: Iowa typically requires 4 years (8,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus classroom hours before the journeyman exam. Apprenticeship pay starts at roughly 40-50% of journeyman scale and steps up annually. Many Iowa apprentices reach full journeyman pay 5-6 years after starting.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2111, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Iowa Electrician pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.