Statewide pay Government data
Machinists in Iowa earn a statewide median of $57,540 a year, 1% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #36 of 50 states and DC. About 2,880 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Iowa
See all states on the machinist overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes machinist pay for 7 Iowa metros. The highest-paying is Davenport at $61,710, followed by Ames and Des Moines.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| DavenportIOWA · IA | $61,710 | $69,276 | 600 |
| AmesIOWA · IA | $60,200 | $67,770 | 60 |
| Des MoinesIOWA · IA | $59,290 | $64,656 | 210 |
| DubuqueIOWA · IA | $58,890 | $67,435 | 180 |
| WaterlooIOWA · IA | $58,100 | $66,738 | 180 |
| Sioux CityIOWA · IA | $56,350 | $65,179 | 80 |
| Cedar RapidsIOWA · IA | $56,000 | $62,948 | 180 |
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)
Set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal. Includes precision instrument makers who fabricate, modify, or repair mechanical instruments. May also fabricate and modify parts to make or repair machine tools or maintain industrial machines, applying knowledge of mechanics, mathematics, metal properties, layout, and machining procedures.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, machinists have 108 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.3× 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 machinists 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 machinist apprentices in Iowa who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 45% completed (U.S.: 61%), about 4 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. 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, machine shops filed 411 severe injury reports from 2015 to 2024; the most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (79%).
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
16 schools in Iowa offer precision metal working (welding, machining, sheet metal) 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.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $47,678 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny, IA · Public | Certificate | $12,609 | 352 | $53,940 |
| Eastern Iowa Community College District Davenport, IA · Public | Certificate | $18,295 | 158 | $61,035 |
| Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA · Public | Certificate | $21,692 | 82 | $44,556 |
| Hawkeye Community College Waterloo, IA · Public | Certificate | $20,986 | 68 | $44,101 |
| Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown, IA · Public | Certificate | $14,473 | 68 | — |
| Indian Hills Community College Ottumwa, IA · Public | Certificate | $18,926 | 55 | — |
| Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA · Public | Certificate | $19,280 | 44 | $42,912 |
| Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA · Public | Certificate | $19,716 | 43 | — |
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 machinists.
Official Iowa licensing site ↗
Requirements for machinists 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 machinists.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Iowa
All trades in Iowa.