Plumber salary in Iowa City, IA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Plumbers in the Iowa City, IA area earn a median of $61,350 a year, or $29.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $97,930. Across all of Iowa, the median is $63,890, so Iowa City pays 4% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.72/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 190
- After cost of living
- $67,040
- Median hourly pay
- $29.49/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −4%
- vs Iowa median
- −4%
Apprentice, journeyman and master plumber pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $45,180–$48,450$21.72–$23.29/hr | |
| Journeyman | $61,350$29.49/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $75,770–$97,930$36.43–$47.08/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Iowa City, IA compares
- Iowa City ranks 8th of 9 Iowa metro areas for plumber pay.
- Plumbers are less concentrated in the Iowa City area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.69 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $97,930, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,180: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Iowa metro areas
Other trades in Iowa City, IA
Questions
- How much do plumbers make in Iowa City, IA?
- Plumbers in the Iowa City, IA area earn a median of $61,350 a year, or $29.49 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $97,930.
- How much do plumbers make an hour in Iowa City, IA?
- The median hourly wage is $29.49. The middle half earn between $23.29 and $36.43 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice plumbers make in Iowa City, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.72 an hour ($45,180 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.29.
- How much does a journeyman plumber make in Iowa City, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,350 a year ($29.49 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $75,770–$97,930.
- Do plumbers make more in Iowa City or Cedar Rapids?
- Cedar Rapids pays more: the median is $61,350 in Iowa City and $83,210 in Cedar Rapids, a 26% difference.
- How does Iowa City pay compare with the rest of Iowa?
- The Iowa City median of $61,350 is 4% less than the Iowa median of $63,890.
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 26980 (Iowa City, IA). 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 (91.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures