Iowa Apprenticeship Programs
As of September 2026, Iowa fields 11,000 active apprentices across 460 registered programs, a mid-sized system with 62.8% completion.
- Active apprentices
- 11,000
- National rank
- #24 / 51
- Completion rate
- 62.8%
- Completion wage
- $29
Iowa ranks #24 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 1.3% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 62.8% completion rate sits 4.6 pts above the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 84% - from $16 to $29 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction IO · Iowa
Iowa registered-apprenticeship filing: 11,000 active apprentices (rank 24/51), 460 programs, 62.8% completion.
- BOOK-MID 11,000
- RANK-MID #24
- PROG-SPARSE 460
- COMP-MID 62.8%
- WAGE-STRONG +84%
- SHARE-SMALL 1.3%
- NEW-FY 2,900
Nearest enrollment peer: Utah (500 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: future proof careers
Where Iowa sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction with Iowa marked mid-field. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
Iowa vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
11,000 24th of 51 higher than 27 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading Iowa's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: completion
If one figure defines this system it is follow-through: 62.8% completion, better than 90% of states.
Where the scale sits
11,000 active apprentices rank 24 of 51 nationally, 1.3% of all registered enrollment.
Fast intake pipeline
New registrations are running hot: 2,900 in the latest fiscal year equals 26.4% of the active base (national pace 25.9%). If completions keep up, this system is compounding.
Strong wage progression
Wages move further here than in most states: $15.50/hour at entry to $28.50 at completion, a 83.9% climb versus the 82.7% national norm.
Middle-of-the-road program size
460 registered programs at 23.9 apprentices per program lands in the middle tercile of states; program structure is not what distinguishes this system.
Iowa's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Sheet Metal Worker 23%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- HVAC Mechanic -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does Iowa have?
Iowa reports about 11,000 active registered apprentices in 460 programs, ranking 24 of 51 jurisdictions.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Iowa?
62.8% — 4.6 points above the 58.2% national average, one of the stronger completion records among the states.
How much do apprentices earn in Iowa?
Starting pay averages $15.50/hour and completion pay $28.50 — a 83.9% increase, among the strongest wage progressions of any state.
What are the top apprenticeship trades in Iowa?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for Iowa are Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, Sheet Metal Worker, HVAC Mechanic — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
Is apprenticeship growing in Iowa?
The intake numbers say yes: 2,900 new apprentices registered in the latest fiscal year, 26.4% of the current active base and above the 25.9% national pace.
Compare other states
Put these numbers to use
Use Iowa's apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Weigh an apprenticeship path against a college degree with real wage and growth numbers. Apprenticeships vs college
- The full occupation directory covers wage and AI exposure for any specific trade. Browse all occupations
- The occupations projected to add the most jobs through 2034 are worth a look. Fastest-growing occupations
U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data is the source here; enrollment and completion both vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).