What skilled trades pay in Iowa, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $115,300 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Iowa pay page.
How Iowa compares
31 of the 40 trades we track in Iowa pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for paving equipment operator (+22%), ironworker (+21%) and wind turbine technician (+18%), and the biggest gaps for appliance repair technician (-13%) and telecom line installer (-8%). Prices in Iowa's metros run about 11% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $899 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Iowa
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $38,920.
Every trade in Iowa
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Maintenance Technician: 16,500 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 13,780 jobs
- Electrician: 10,310 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 9,660 jobs
- Welder: 9,270 jobs
Iowa metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Cedar Rapids: +22.4% (10,182 workers)
- Des Moines: +8.7% (25,371 workers)
- Davenport: +7.3% (10,655 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
6.8% of Iowa workers belong to a union (8.2% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Iowa who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in appliance repair technician (86%), industrial machinery mechanic (83%) and diesel mechanic (70%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 164 wage cases against construction employers in Iowa, recovering $1,520,956 in back wages for 1,110 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2026. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, Iowa's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 225 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 41% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (9 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Iowa metros with the most federal major disasters are Sioux City (12), Des Moines (7) and Davenport (6) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Iowa, 548 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Iowa?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $115,300 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in Iowa?
maintenance technicians, with about 16,500 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and electricians.
Which Iowa city pays the trades best?
Des Moines, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Ames.
Is construction hiring growing in Iowa?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 22.4% from a year earlier in Cedar Rapids, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and up 7.3% in Davenport.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Iowa 2026, payby.trade/report/ia/.”