SOC 53-7062 · Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary in Waterloo, IA

The average salary for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Waterloo, Iowa is $44,190 a year ($21.25 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $47,440: half of the 2,920 people in this job in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% more than the U.S. average for this job ($42,260).

$44,190average per year

$21.25 / hourMedian $47,440Take-home ≈ $36,619

  • $36K10th
  • $42K25th
  • $47KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $48K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

2,920people in this job
+5%vs U.S. average
#3 of 8Iowa metros
87cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay range in Waterloo

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,530 a year or less, while the top 10% make $48,440 or more. The middle half of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Waterloo earn between $42,460 and $47,610.

  • $36K10th
  • $42K25th
  • $47KMedian
  • $48K75th
  • $48K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$44,190$3,682$21.25
Median$47,440$3,953$22.81
Entry level (25th percentile)$42,460$3,538$20.41
Experienced (75th percentile)$47,610$3,968$22.89

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay in Waterloo vs. Iowa and the U.S.

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Waterloo earn about the same as the Iowa average ($43,520) and 5% more than the U.S. average ($42,260). At the median the gap is +18% against the U.S. median of $40,240.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Waterloo$44,190$47,440$35,530$48,4402,920
Iowa$43,520$43,490$32,790$53,62030,890
United States$42,260$40,240$31,270$55,1402,950,280

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary after taxes in Waterloo

On the average salary of $44,190, a single filer in Waterloo takes home about $36,619 a year, or $3,052 a month and $1,408 every two weeks. Taxes take 17% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.

Iowa paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Waterloo a good place for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Waterloo area are 13% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 87.1), so the average $44,190 buys what about $50,760 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in Waterloo ($47,430). A typical home costs $200,191, or 4.5 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $44,190 is worth in another city

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary in other Iowa cities

Waterloo ranks 3rd of 8 Iowa metro areas for this job; Des Moines pays the most ($45,160).

All Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salaries in Iowa

Highest-paying cities for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand

San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($51,280).

Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary by city

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Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand salary in Waterloo: questions

How much do laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand make an hour in Waterloo?

$21.25 an hour on average, and $22.81 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand salary in Waterloo?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $35,530 a year and the 25th percentile is $42,460, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand take-home pay in Waterloo?

About $36,619 a year ($3,052 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $44,190. Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.

Do laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand earn more in Waterloo than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% more than the U.S. average for this job ($42,260).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 53-7062; area Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (47940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.4%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Iowa school district surtaxes (a percentage of state tax in some districts) are not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.83, this job is 1.8 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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