Statewide pay Government data
Industrial machinery mechanics in Iowa earn a statewide median of $64,400 a year, 1% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #30 of 50 states and DC. About 6,050 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Iowa
See all states on the industrial machinery mechanic overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes industrial machinery mechanic pay for 8 Iowa metros. The highest-paying is Waterloo at $77,850, followed by Cedar Rapids and Davenport.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterlooIOWA · IA | $77,850 | $89,424 | 510 |
| Cedar RapidsIOWA · IA | $73,800 | $82,956 | 530 |
| DavenportIOWA · IA | $72,790 | $81,714 | 750 |
| Sioux CityIOWA · IA | $68,940 | $79,742 | 350 |
| AmesIOWA · IA | $67,250 | $75,706 | 150 |
| DubuqueIOWA · IA | $65,480 | $74,982 | 160 |
| Des MoinesIOWA · IA | $63,590 | $69,345 | 750 |
| Iowa CityIOWA · IA | $63,490 | $69,381 | 110 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Iowa's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 17.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 44,400 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, industrial machinery mechanics have 54 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 38% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often industrial machinery mechanics deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of industrial machinery mechanic apprentices in Iowa who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 83% completed (U.S.: 66%), about 31 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 93% completion rate, compared with 69% for non-union programs. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
Iowa runs its own workplace-safety program (an OSHA State Plan), so its injury reports aren't in the federal dataset. Nationally, in states federal OSHA covers, machinery repair companies filed 495 severe injury reports from 2015 to 2024; the most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (58%).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Iowa Government data
9 schools in Iowa offer heavy and industrial equipment maintenance programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA · Public | Certificate | $19,716 | 28 | — |
| Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA · Public | Certificate | $18,463 | 25 | — |
| Kirkwood Community College Cedar Rapids, IA · Public | Associate degree | $18,463 | 22 | — |
| Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA · Public | Associate degree | $19,716 | 15 | — |
| Southwestern Community College Creston, IA · Public | Certificate | $21,059 | 13 | — |
| Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA · Public | Certificate | $19,280 | 12 | — |
| North Iowa Area Community College Mason City, IA · Public | Certificate | $15,733 | 10 | — |
| Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA · Public | Certificate | $18,430 | 8 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Iowa Official source
The main state licensing office in Iowa is the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. It can point you to the right license for industrial machinery mechanics.
Official Iowa licensing site ↗
Requirements for industrial machinery mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.8% of wage and salary workers in Iowa were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#28 of 51 states and D.C.), and 8.2% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only industrial machinery mechanics.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Iowa
All trades in Iowa.