Iowa energy profile
Manufacturing energy costs in Iowa
As of Apr 2026, industrial electricity in Iowa runs 6.26 cents per kWh. That is 27.7% cheaper than the U.S. average and places the state 4 of 51 nationally.
Current prices in Iowa
- Industrial electricity: 6.26 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA).
- Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Iowa typically pays: 10.26 cents per kWh.
- Industrial natural gas: 6.69 per Mcf (Apr 2026), 36.5% above the national average.
- Just below Iowa on the price ladder: Oklahoma at 5.86, Montana at 5.99, Arkansas at 6.2 cents. Just above: New Mexico at 6.27, Texas at 6.33, Georgia at 6.84 cents.
What the rate does to operating cost
- A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 2,504 in electricity at Iowa rates versus 3,464 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 12,520 versus 17,320, and at 200 kW it is 50,080 versus 69,280.
- For site selection and quoting, Iowa sits on the favorable side of the power map. Processes that live or die on electricity cost, from electrolysis to induction heating, price out better here than in most states.
What factory labor pays in Iowa
- Industrial production managers: $51.21/hr median in Iowa versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Industrial engineers: $46.96/hr median in Iowa versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Production supervisors: $35.94/hr median in Iowa versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Tool and die makers: $31.25/hr median in Iowa versus $30.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Industrial machinery mechanics: $30.96/hr median in Iowa versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Machinists: $27.66/hr median in Iowa versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
- Iowa employs about 214,000 manufacturing workers as of May 2026 (BLS).
Sources and update cadence
- Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Iowa observation so the local price history deepens over time.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.