Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Across all occupations in the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metropolitan area, the median wage is $47,030 a year ($22.61 an hour) and the mean $56,240, May 2025. That median is −8% against the US median of $50,980 and −3% against Iowa's $48,540. BLS counts 75,010 jobs in the area, which spans Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers.
All occupations: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD vs Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | Hourly | $14.08 | $17.68 | $22.61 | $30.61 | $42.84 | $27.04 | 75,010 |
| Annual | $29,280 | $36,780 | $47,030 | $63,660 | $89,120 | $56,240 | ||
| Iowa | Hourly | $13.91 | $17.58 | $23.34 | $33.79 | $47.90 | $28.76 | 1,559,240 |
| Annual | $28,930 | $36,570 | $48,540 | $70,290 | $99,630 | $59,830 | ||
| Nebraska | Hourly | $14.48 | $17.97 | $23.55 | $35.50 | $49.57 | $30.00 | 1,024,370 |
| Annual | $30,120 | $37,370 | $48,980 | $73,830 | $103,110 | $62,400 | ||
| South Dakota | Hourly | $14.09 | $17.32 | $22.63 | $30.78 | $45.63 | $27.70 | 457,380 |
| Annual | $29,300 | $36,030 | $47,080 | $64,020 | $94,900 | $57,610 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
288 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profiles: Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $300,040 | $144.25 | 40 |
| 2 | Chief Executives | $220,590 | $106.06 | 130 |
| 3 | Dentists, General | $191,280 | $91.96 | 60 |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $164,990 | $79.32 | 50 |
| 5 | Pharmacists | $139,600 | $67.12 | 120 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Iowa | $135,570 | $65.18 | 90 |
| 7 | Financial Managers in Iowa | $134,510 | $64.67 | 230 |
| 8 | Sales Managers in Iowa | $132,150 | $63.54 | 120 |
| 9 | Physician Assistants | $130,970 | $62.97 | 70 |
| 10 | Nurse Practitioners | $129,060 | $62.05 | 150 |
| 11 | Human Resources Managers | $125,430 | $60.30 | 60 |
| 12 | Industrial Production Managers | $122,430 | $58.86 | 210 |
| 13 | Lawyers in Iowa | $120,790 | $58.07 | 150 |
| 14 | Marketing Managers | $119,410 | $57.41 | 50 |
| 15 | Construction Managers | $114,960 | $55.27 | 140 |
| 16 | Computer Network Architects | $114,050 | $54.83 | 70 |
| 17 | Administrative Services Managers | $111,060 | $53.40 | 40 |
| 18 | Computer Occupations, All Other | $108,820 | $52.32 | 130 |
| 19 | Industrial Engineers | $105,660 | $50.80 | 130 |
| 20 | Managers, All Other in Iowa | $105,370 | $50.66 | 100 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
Most concentrated occupations in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food Processing Workers, All Other | 54.67 | 1,710 | 22.85 | $46,350 |
| 2 | Slaughterers and Meat Packers | 33.22 | 1,120 | 14.94 | $49,600 |
| 3 | Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers | 24.17 | 1,700 | 22.65 | $47,580 |
| 4 | Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders | 12.37 | 190 | 2.49 | $51,600 |
| 5 | Machine Feeders and Offbearers | 4.98 | 100 | 1.36 | $44,410 |
| 6 | Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.51 | 100 | 1.31 | $48,300 |
| 7 | Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders | 4.43 | 810 | 10.81 | $43,700 |
| 8 | Food Batchmakers | 4.19 | 350 | 4.70 | $46,010 |
| 9 | Butchers and Meat Cutters | 4.10 | 270 | 3.60 | $42,740 |
| 10 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Iowa | 2.84 | 2,820 | 37.65 | $51,540 |
Occupation groups in Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $101,130 | $117,580 | 3,640 | 48.47 | 0.68 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $79,440 | $85,300 | 700 | 9.29 | 0.55 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $78,790 | $87,240 | 1,200 | 15.97 | 0.47 |
| Legal | $75,690 | $102,380 | 310 | 4.07 | 0.48 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $74,370 | $81,010 | 3,100 | 41.32 | 0.61 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $72,430 | $89,710 | 4,310 | 57.45 | 0.91 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $66,490 | $73,710 | 550 | 7.38 | 0.78 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $60,140 | $62,260 | 3,630 | 48.36 | 1.24 |
| Construction and Extraction | $58,510 | $60,290 | 3,120 | 41.59 | 1.01 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $50,440 | $54,480 | 4,550 | 60.69 | 1.04 |
| Protective Service | $49,690 | $57,490 | 1,160 | 15.49 | 0.64 |
| Community and Social Service | $49,060 | $55,060 | 1,260 | 16.79 | 0.98 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $48,450 | $55,410 | 760 | 10.15 | 0.77 |
| Production | $47,150 | $49,940 | 10,820 | 144.21 | 2.62 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $46,800 | $48,940 | 280 | 3.80 | 1.36 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $45,360 | $47,260 | 7,130 | 95.02 | 0.83 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $43,590 | $46,880 | 9,140 | 121.89 | 1.39 |
| Healthcare Support | $38,370 | $40,860 | 2,950 | 39.37 | 0.77 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $36,760 | $39,140 | 2,080 | 27.73 | 0.95 |
| Sales and Related | $35,570 | $46,820 | 6,430 | 85.75 | 0.99 |
| Personal Care and Service | $30,450 | $34,730 | 1,260 | 16.81 | 0.80 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $30,080 | $31,750 | 6,630 | 88.41 | 1.00 |
Every occupation in Iowa and Nebraska and South Dakota, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profiles. All 288 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Sioux City, IA-NE-SD estimates (area 43580).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.
- The area spans Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota; its figures are the whole MSA, as BLS publishes them, under the primary state Iowa.