Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Iowa

Median $39.65 an hour for 50 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$39.65/hrMedian hourly wageIowa, May data
$82,470/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$30.78 – $42.4410th to 90th percentilehourly range
50Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Boilermaker pay in Iowa: the full range

Wage percentiles, IowaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrIowa: 10th $30.78 · 25th $31.85 · median $39.65 · 75th $41.19 · 90th $42.44Iowa$39.65$30.78$42.44United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Iowa vs United States, May 2025.

Iowa ranks 16th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 9th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $45.16). 50 boilermakers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$30.78 – $31.85$64,030 – $66,250roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$31.85 – $41.19$66,250 – $85,660the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$41.19 – $42.44$85,660 – $88,280the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker wages in Iowa over time

Iowa, 1999-2025IowaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$39.65Iowa$36.74United States
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Iowa vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIowa $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.09$31.09$18.09—
2000$19.12$35.75$17.80—
2001$18.75$34.08$19.06360
2002$18.70$33.46$20.17370
2003$19.33$33.82$20.79310
2004$20.33$34.65$21.68300
2005$23.56$38.84$23.10—
2006$21.41$34.19$22.58210
2007$21.92$34.04$24.38—
2008$22.70$33.94$25.13—
2009$30.80$46.22$26.97160
2010$30.17$44.54$26.27180
2011$30.77$44.04$27.36150
2012$30.77$43.15$27.19160
2013$31.74$43.86$27.74110
2014$33.88$46.07$28.78—
2015$35.12$47.70$28.9060
2020——$31.4260
2021$29.02$34.48$30.91120
2022$30.96$34.06$32.17230
2023$31.55$33.34$34.20110
2024$32.89$33.76$35.26—
2025$39.65$39.65$36.7450

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Iowa changed by -16.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Iowa

On federally funded construction in Iowa, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 99 of the 99 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $82.39 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $39.65.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, IAAdair: $82.39 (union)Adams: $82.39 (union)Allamakee: $82.39 (union)Appanoose: $82.39 (union)Audubon: $82.39 (union)Benton: $82.39 (union)Black Hawk: $82.39 (union)Boone: $82.39 (union)Bremer: $82.39 (union)Buchanan: $82.39 (union)Buena Vista: $82.39 (union)Butler: $82.39 (union)Calhoun: $82.39 (union)Carroll: $82.39 (union)Cass: $82.39 (union)Cedar: $82.39 (union)Cerro Gordo: $82.39 (union)Cherokee: $82.39 (union)Chickasaw: $82.39 (union)Clarke: $82.39 (union)Clay: $82.39 (union)Clayton: $82.39 (union)Clinton: $82.39 (union)Crawford: $82.39 (union)Dallas: $82.39 (union)Davis: $82.39 (union)Decatur: $82.39 (union)Delaware: $82.39 (union)Des Moines: $82.39 (union)Dickinson: $82.39 (union)Dubuque: $82.39 (union)Emmet: $82.39 (union)Fayette: $82.39 (union)Floyd: $82.39 (union)Franklin: $82.39 (union)Fremont: $82.39 (union)Greene: $82.39 (union)Grundy: $82.39 (union)Guthrie: $82.39 (union)Hamilton: $82.39 (union)Hancock: $82.39 (union)Hardin: $82.39 (union)Harrison: $82.39 (union)Henry: $82.39 (union)Howard: $82.39 (union)Humboldt: $82.39 (union)Ida: $82.39 (union)Iowa: $82.39 (union)Jackson: $82.39 (union)Jasper: $82.39 (union)Jefferson: $82.39 (union)Johnson: $82.39 (union)Jones: $82.39 (union)Keokuk: $82.39 (union)Kossuth: $82.39 (union)Lee: $82.39 (union)Linn: $82.39 (union)Louisa: $82.39 (union)Lucas: $82.39 (union)Lyon: $82.39 (union)Madison: $82.39 (union)Mahaska: $82.39 (union)Marion: $82.39 (union)Marshall: $82.39 (union)Mills: $82.39 (union)Mitchell: $82.39 (union)Monona: $82.39 (union)Monroe: $82.39 (union)Montgomery: $82.39 (union)Muscatine: $82.39 (union)O'Brien: $82.39 (union)Osceola: $82.39 (union)Page: $82.39 (union)Palo Alto: $82.39 (union)Plymouth: $82.39 (union)Pocahontas: $82.39 (union)Polk: $82.39 (union)Pottawattamie: $82.39 (union)Poweshiek: $82.39 (union)Ringgold: $82.39 (union)Sac: $82.39 (union)Scott: $82.39 (union)Shelby: $82.39 (union)Sioux: $82.39 (union)Story: $82.39 (union)Tama: $82.39 (union)Taylor: $82.39 (union)Union: $82.39 (union)Van Buren: $82.39 (union)Wapello: $82.39 (union)Warren: $82.39 (union)Washington: $82.39 (union)Wayne: $82.39 (union)Webster: $82.39 (union)Winnebago: $82.39 (union)Winneshiek: $82.39 (union)Woodbury: $82.39 (union)Worth: $82.39 (union)Wright: $82.39 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for boilermakers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdairUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260029
AdamsUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260030
AllamakeeUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260031
AppanooseUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260032
AudubonUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260033
BentonUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260078
Black HawkUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260062
BooneUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260034
BremerUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260063
BuchananUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260080
Buena VistaUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260057
ButlerUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260080
CalhounUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260057
CarrollUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260035
CassUnion BOIL0083-009 2025-01-01$48.48$33.91$82.39IA20260058

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Iowa prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Iowa?

93.8kConstruction jobsIowa, 2026-08
+3.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kAug 2026
Construction employment in Iowa (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just boilermakers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Crawford County235$89,187$1,715
Sioux County1,658$88,688$1,706
Scott County4,874$86,416$1,662
Ringgold County83$83,981$1,615
Polk County15,121$83,791$1,611
Linn County6,073$79,926$1,537
Lee County771$79,246$1,524
Jefferson County168$77,394$1,488
Woodbury County2,137$76,259$1,467
Pottawattamie County1,528$76,138$1,464
Webster County663$74,914$1,441
Cass County173$73,664$1,417

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Iowa

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Iowa?

The median boilermaker in Iowa earned $39.65 an hour ($82,470 a year) in May 2025, 8% above the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $31.85–$41.19; the top 10% earn more than $42.44.

Where does Iowa rank for boilermaker pay?

Iowa ranks 16th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $39.65 an hour, and 9th after adjusting for Iowa's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Iowa?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 99 counties, with a typical package of $82.39 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Iowa?

BLS counted 50 boilermakers in Iowa in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.47; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Iowa and metro areas, SOC 47-2011.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.