Start with the answer
Helpers--Electricians pay in Iowa and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Helpers--Electricians is $41,610 per year in Iowa. It is $61,110 per year in Washington. Iowa is 31.9% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-3013 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 310 wage and salary jobs in Iowa and 560 in Washington. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
