Dental Lab Technician Salary in Iowa: What Dental Lab Technicians Earn in 2026
25th percentile
$38,890
Median (50th)
$47,520
75th percentile
$58,170
National median
$49,610
BLS OEWS (SOC 51-9081), May 2025
What does a dental lab technician make in Iowa?
The median dental lab technician in Iowa earns $47,520 a year ($22.85 an hour), which is $2,090 below the national median of $49,610, but less than in nearby Nebraska ($58,590), Minnesota ($56,090) and Illinois ($51,380). The mean is $52,700.
That ranks 31st of the 46 states where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median.
Entry-level vs top earners in Iowa
The middle half of Iowa dental lab technicians earn $38,890 to $58,170. The lowest-paid tenth earn under $35,750, $910 below the national 10th percentile. The top tenth earn over $67,450, $9,490 below the national 90th percentile.
How far the pay goes in Iowa
The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Iowa's 2024 price level at 87.8 (U.S. = 100): prices overall run 12.2% below the national average, and housing (index 65.3) runs 34.7% below.
Converted to national average prices, the $47,520 median is worth about $54,150 — $4,540 above the national median of $49,610.
How many dental lab technicians work in Iowa
BLS counts about 380 dental lab technician jobs in Iowa, 1.1% of the 34,410 nationwide, or 0.245 per 1,000 jobs in the state. Dental lab technicians hold an 11% larger share of local jobs than nationally (location quotient 1.11).
Dental Lab Technician Salary by City in Iowa
Across the 2 Iowa metro areas where BLS publishes a dental lab technician median, pay runs from $47,030 in Cedar Rapids to $47,550 in Des Moines, a spread of $520.
All dental roles by metro: Cedar Rapids · Des Moines
Who's hiring dental lab technicians in Iowa now
DentistryHires has no open dental lab technician listings in Iowa at the moment.
Dental Lab Technician Regulatory Context in Iowa
Dental lab technician practice in Iowa is regulated by the Iowa Dental Board.
Scope of practice — what a dental lab technician may do, and under what level of supervision — is set by state law and changes over time, so verify current rules with the board before relying on them.
How Iowa Compares
Nebraska
$58,590
+18% vs. national
Nebraska salary →
Minnesota
$56,090
+13% vs. national
Minnesota salary →
Illinois
$51,380
+4% vs. national
Illinois salary →
South Dakota
$48,370
-2% vs. national
South Dakota salary →
Wisconsin
$47,170
-5% vs. national
Wisconsin salary →
Missouri
$46,870
-6% vs. national
Missouri salary →
Other dental salaries in Iowa
- Dentist salary in Iowa: median $181,520, $134,000 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Hygienist salary in Iowa: median $84,010, $36,490 above the dental lab technician median
- Dental Assistant salary in Iowa: median $48,430, $910 above the dental lab technician median
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national estimates, all industries); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Price-adjusted pay divides the median by the price level. Listing counts and posted pay are live DentistryHires listings, refreshed hourly. A dash means BLS did not publish that figure; nothing is estimated.