SOC 47-2152

Plumber & Pipefitter Salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (2026)

Data updated · Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025, HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Tax Tables: 2026 Fed + IA
COL Index: 90.14 (-9.9% vs US)
Net Compensation Yield 76.1% Realized
$47,304 / net annual direct deposit
Gross Adjusted $62,200 $29.90/hr
Effective Tax Drag 17.95% Combined Jurisdictions
Marginal Top Bracket 12% Federal Statutory
Total Withheld -$11,164 $429.40/check
Category 1 of 6

Wage Benchmarking & After-Tax Paycheck Engine

Dynamic statutory tax calculations based on IRS Publication 15-T and state statutory schedules.

$
2,080 annual statutory base hours $29.90 / hour
0 hrs/wk (+$0/yr)
0 hrs (Standard) 10 hrs OT 20 hrs OT 25 hrs Max
6% (-$3,732/yr)
0% Tax Shield: ~$448/yr 15% (IRS limit: $24,500)
Itemized Statutory Withholdings Ledger
Federal Income Tax (IRS)
Progressive 10%–37%
-$4,836
Social Security (FICA OASDI)
Statutory 6.20% (Cap $184,500)
-$3,856
Medicare Hospital Insurance
Statutory 1.45%
-$902
Iowa Individual Income Tax
State Marginal Bracket
-$1,570
Net Take-Home Annual Realized
$47,304 ($1,819.37 / check)
Category 2 of 6

Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Plumber & Pipefitter Wage Distribution

Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Percentiles & Career Ladders

Your Salary: $62,200
MIDDLE 50% (IQR RANGE) 10th $46.0k 25th $48.8k Median: $62,200 50th (Median) $62.2k 75th $76.9k 90th $92.6k You: $62,200
10th (Entry) $45,960 $22.10/hr
25th (Junior) $48,770 $23.45/hr
50th (Median) $62,200 $29.90/hr
75th (Senior) $76,880 $36.96/hr
90th (Lead/Master) $92,590 $44.51/hr
Career Progression & Licensing Milestones for Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA
1
Plumber's Apprentice (Yr 1-2)Post-secondary certificate (most common O*NET requirement); entry into the field
$43,092$20.72/hr · 0-2 Years
2
Plumber's Apprentice (Yr 3-5)Demonstrated results in role; works independently on core responsibilities; state journeyman license
$48,941$23.53/hr · 2-5 Years
3
Journeyman PlumberFull professional competence; leads projects or a small team; state journeyman license
$62,200$29.90/hr · 5-8 Years
4
Master PlumberOwns budget, hiring and outcomes for a department or large program
$82,966$39.89/hr · 8-12 Years
5
Plumbing ContractorExecutive or principal scope; sets strategy across the organization or profession
$105,682$50.81/hr · 12+ Years
Scaled to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA medianView National Plumber & Pipefitter Salary Data
Adjacent Career Pivots & National Pay Differences
Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters-$21,440/yr
National median: $42,360
Skill overlap: 89%
Boilermakers+$12,610/yr
National median: $76,410
Skill overlap: 88%
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General-$14,210/yr
National median: $49,590
Skill overlap: 88%
Pipelayers-$14,800/yr
National median: $49,000
Skill overlap: 86%
Category 3 of 6

HUD Fair Market Rent & EPI Living Wage Affordability Index

Evaluating housing affordability vs. net take-home pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA under the HUD 30% housing cost guideline.

Rent-to-Take-Home Ratio (HUD 30% Standard)
21% of Net Income
✓ Passes 30% Housing Affordability Standard
HUD Fair Market Rent (1-Bedroom) $838/month Requires minimum annual gross of $33,520
HUD Fair Market Rent (2-Bedroom) $1,096/month Requires minimum annual gross of $43,840
Hourly Living Wage Benchmark (EPI model)
1 Adult Earner: $19.94/hr
Per adult, 2 working adults + 1 child: $18.73/hr
Category 4 of 6

Hourly Wage to Annual & Overtime Matrix

Translating base hourly pay and 1.5× overtime into net take-home pay based on 2,080 annual work hours in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA.

Swipe horizontally to inspect full pay schedule
Schedule Total Hours/Wk Gross Annual Est. Taxes Net Take-Home Bi-Weekly Check
Standard (40 hrs)40 hrs$62,200-$11,164$47,304$1,819.37
+5h Overtime/Wk45 hrs$73,863-$14,082$55,349$2,128.81
+10h Overtime/Wk50 hrs$85,525-$17,802$62,591$2,407.35
+15h Overtime/Wk55 hrs$97,188-$21,523$69,833$2,685.90
+20h Overtime/Wk60 hrs$108,850-$25,244$77,075$2,964.44
Category 5 of 6

Interstate MSA Relocation & State Tax Migration Comparator

Calculate required compensation, cost-of-living differences, and annual state/local tax savings between two metropolitan areas.

Equivalent Salary in Austin, TX $83,505 Cost of Living Ratio: 69.6%
Annual State & Local Tax Delta +$8,331/yr Tax savings in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Annual Rent Difference (1BR) -$17,676/yr Based on HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Discretionary Cash Flow Impact

Combining state tax savings and annual rent variance when relocating from San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

+$26,007/year
Category 6 of 6 · Executive Economic Briefing
2026 Fiscal Intelligence

Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA: Compensation & Purchasing Power Briefing (2026)

Estimates compiled from BLS OEWS wages, IRS 2026 withholding rules, HUD Fair Market Rents, and Iowa tax codes.

Market Baseline
$62,200/yr
$29.90/hr · SOC 47-2152
Statutory Tax Drag
17.95% Effective
-$11,164 in Total Taxes
HUD 1BR Shelter Ratio
21% Net Pay
✓ Passes 30% HUD Rule
Monthly Discretionary
+$3,104/mo
Post-$838/mo 1BR Rent

Key Economic & Compensation Takeaways

Statutory Withholding Architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

Verified Government Data Sources & Statutory Attribution

Wages sourced from US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS OEWS). Rents calibrated to HUD Fair Market Rents. Tax schedules calibrated to IRS IRC Title 26, IRS Pub 15-T, and state statutory revenue codes.

BLS OEWS May 2025 HUD FY2027 FMR IRS 15-T
Metro Pay Comparison SOC 47-2152
2026 Statutory Thresholds
  • Federal Standard Deduction (Single) $16,100
  • FICA OASDI Wage Base Cap $184,500
  • Pre-Tax 401(k) Elective Deferral $24,500
  • HSA Individual Annual Limit $4,400

Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA: Market Snapshot

Plumber & Pipefitter roles in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA report a median annual wage of $62,200, 2.5% below the national median of $63,800. The 10th to 90th percentile band runs from $45,960 to $92,590, and HUD’s $838 monthly one-bedroom fair market rent equals 16.2% of that median gross pay. The single-adult living wage benchmark for the area is $19.94 per hour.

Highest-paying metropolitan areas for Plumber & Pipefitter

Metropolitan areaMedian annual wageVs this market
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$107,560+72.9%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$103,380+66.2%
Bellingham, WA$102,750+65.2%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$101,630+63.4%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$101,010+62.4%
Kennewick-Richland, WA$97,130+56.2%
Bloomington, IN$96,980+55.9%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$96,760+55.6%
Fairbanks-College, AK$96,670+55.4%
Champaign-Urbana, IL$95,530+53.6%

Top-paying occupations benchmarked in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA

OccupationMedian annual wageMedian hourly
Chief Executives$199,010$95.68/hr
Architectural and Engineering Managers$140,340$67.47/hr
Physician Assistant$132,880$63.88/hr
Computer and Information Systems Managers$132,210$63.56/hr
Nurse Practitioner$126,330$60.74/hr
Human Resources Managers$125,970$60.56/hr
Financial Manager$125,690$60.43/hr
Sales Managers$125,050$60.12/hr
Marketing Managers$114,940$55.26/hr
Software Engineer$113,970$54.79/hr

Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025, 388 metropolitan areas publishing this occupation; HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents; EPI Family Budget Calculator. Taxes use 2026 federal and state rules. Data last updated .

Regional Labor Market & Career Mobility Network

Explore adjacent occupations and neighboring metropolitan wage benchmarks for peer compensation analysis.

Plumber & Pipefitter Salary in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (2026) Overview

Plumber & Pipefitter median pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $62,200 a year ($29.90/hr). See take-home pay after 2026 taxes, BLS wage percentiles, HUD rents. Official 2026 economic data for Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
What is the median salary for a Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

The median annual wage is $62,200 ($29.90 per hour). The middle 80% of earners make between $45,960 and $92,590. Source: BLS OEWS (May 2025).

What is the take-home pay for a Plumber & Pipefitter in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA after taxes?

On the median wage of $62,200, a single filer with no pre-tax deductions takes home about $50,446 a year ($4,204 a month) after $11,754 in federal, FICA, state and local taxes, an effective rate of 18.9%, using 2026 tax rules.