SOC 51-9081 · Production Occupations · May 2025

How much do Dental Laboratory Technicians make in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Dental Laboratory Technicians in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is $47,550. The 10th percentile is $35,630 and the 90th percentile is $67,840. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$47,550

10th percentile
$35,630
25th percentile
$41,290
Median
$47,550
75th percentile
$57,490
90th percentile
$67,840
Mean
$51,230

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

An electrician connecting a generator to a home electrical panel
An electrician at a home electrical panel. Photograph by editor B. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Dental Laboratory Technicians, the published 10th percentile is $35,630 and the 90th percentile is $67,840. The difference is $32,210, which is 67.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $41,290 to the 75th at $57,490, covers $16,200.

The mean annual wage is $51,230, which sits above the median of $47,550. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA median is 4.2% lower than the national median of $49,610 for Dental Laboratory Technicians. In 2024 national prices the local median is $51,853, which is 4.5% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.1% higher than the Iowa median of $47,520.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is 91.701, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $47,550 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Dental Laboratory Technicians at $51,853 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

4 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Dental Laboratory Technicians. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ranks 4th of 5 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Cedar Rapids, IA is 115 miles away, with a median of $47,030 and employment of 140. That median is 1.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $52,865, against $51,853 here.
  • Omaha, NE-IA is 118 miles away, with a median of $58,630 and employment of 90. That median is 23.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $63,790, against $51,853 here.
  • Lincoln, NE is 170 miles away, with a median of $51,020 and employment of 60. That median is 7.3% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $55,710, against $51,853 here.

Employment share

Dental Laboratory Technicians accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA (50 of 404,130). Nationally the occupation is 0.02% of employment (34,410 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.56 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA · Dental Laboratory Technicians by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Dental Laboratory Technicians make in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Dental Laboratory Technicians in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is $47,550. The 10th percentile is $35,630 and the 90th percentile is $67,840. Employment is 50.

How does that compare with the national median for Dental Laboratory Technicians?

The local median is 4.2% lower than the national median of $49,610.

What is Dental Laboratory Technicians pay in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is 91.701, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $47,550 is $51,853. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA compare with nearby metros for Dental Laboratory Technicians?

Cedar Rapids, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 115 miles away, at $47,030. Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA ranks 4th of 5 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.