SOC 53-7062 · Ames, IA metro

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

The average salary for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Ames, Iowa is $42,070 a year ($20.23 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $40,280: half of the 650 people in this job in the Ames, IA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($42,260).

$42,070average per year

$20.23 / hourMedian $40,280Take-home ≈ $34,996

  • $31K10th
  • $34K25th
  • $40KMedian
  • $50K75th
  • $58K90th

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

650people in this job
-0%vs U.S. average
#6 of 8Iowa metros
89cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand pay range in Ames

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,050 a year or less, while the top 10% make $58,320 or more. The middle half of laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Ames earn between $33,890 and $49,990.

  • $31K10th
  • $34K25th
  • $40KMedian
  • $50K75th
  • $58K90th

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

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$42,070$3,506$20.23
Median$40,280$3,357$19.37
Entry level (25th percentile)$33,890$2,824$16.29
Experienced (75th percentile)$49,990$4,166$24.03

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

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

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Ames earn 3% less than the Iowa average ($43,520) and about the same as the U.S. average ($42,260). At the median the gap is +0% against the U.S. median of $40,240.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Ames$42,070$40,280$31,050$58,320650
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 Ames

On the average salary of $42,070, a single filer in Ames takes home about $34,996 a year, or $2,916 a month and $1,346 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 Ames a good place for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Ames area are 11% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 88.8), so the average $42,070 buys what about $47,360 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Ames ($50,220). A typical home costs $280,269, or 6.7 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $42,070 is worth in another city

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

Ames ranks 6th 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 Ames: questions

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

$20.23 an hour on average, and $19.36 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

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

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $31,050 a year and the 25th percentile is $33,890, a fair guide to starting pay.

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

About $34,996 a year ($2,916 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $42,070. 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 Ames than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as 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 Ames, IA (11180). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.7%.
  • 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 0.61, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.61).

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