Plumber salary in Iowa
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in Iowa earn a median of $63,890 a year, or $30.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $97,500 a year. Iowa ranks 26th of 51 states and DC for plumber pay, at about the same as the U.S. median of $63,800.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.88/hr
- Jobs in Iowa
- 5,730
- After cost of living
- $72,800
- Median hourly pay
- $30.72/hr
- vs U.S. median
- 0%
- Rank among states
- 26th of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $45,510–$51,890$21.88–$24.95/hr | |
| Journeyman | $63,890$30.72/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $85,320–$97,500$41.02–$46.87/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Iowa compares
- Plumbers are more concentrated in Iowa than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $97,500, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,510: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Iowa
- Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area$60,300
- Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area$60,140
- Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area$58,800
- Southwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area$49,920
Other trades in Iowa
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Iowa?
- Plumbers in Iowa earn a median of $63,890 a year, or $30.72 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $97,500 a year.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Iowa?
- The median hourly wage is $30.72. The middle half earn between $24.95 and $41.02 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Iowa?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.88 an hour ($45,510 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.95.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Iowa?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $63,890 a year ($30.72 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $85,320–$97,500.
- Where in Iowa do plumbers earn the most?
- Among Iowa metro areas, Cedar Rapids has the highest median at $83,210 a year, and Sioux City the lowest at $60,890.
- Do plumbers in Iowa earn more than the national average?
- The Iowa median of $63,890 is about the same as the U.S. median of $63,800. Prices in Iowa run 12% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $72,800 would nationally.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters), area code 19. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed plumbers and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (87.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures