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Wages & Benefits

The following table is based on telephone surveys conducted in 2009 for the regional Laborshed Study. Education levels and median salary and wave levels for employees by their industry, are provided. The 2012 Laborshed Analysis can be found here: 2012 Laborshed Analysis.

Industry	Education				Median Wage
	Some Level Beyond High School	Associate Degree	Undergraduate Degree	Postgraduate Degree	Salary Wages (per year)	Non-Salary Wages (per year)
Agriculture, Forestry & Mining	70.8%	12.5%	16.7%	8.3%	$60,000	$11.50
Construction	60%	13.3%	8.9%	2.2%	$50,000	$18.50
Manufacturing	58.5%	13.8%	15.4%	2.4%	$60,000	$15.00
Transportation, Communication & Utilities	64.5%	17.7%	17.7%	0%	$57,500	$19.73
Wholesale & Retail Trade	60.1%	14.9%	16.3%	6.1%	$45,000	$10.45
Finance, Insurance & Real Estate	81.1%	20.8%	30.2%	7.5%	$55,000	$11.55
Health Care & Social Services	76.9%	23.9%	27.6%	7.5%	$45,000	$15.00
Personal Services	81.4%	14.3%	17.1%	8.6%	$35,000	$11.73
Entertainment & Recreation	*	*	*	*	$ *	*
Professional Services	70.7%	12.2%	17.1%	4.9%	$50,000	$11.73
Public Administration & Government	84.6%	21.5%	26.1%	6.2%	$57,000	$17.50
Education	91.5%	7.2%	37.9%	35.3%	$53,000	$12.39

* Insufficient survey data/refused

Fringe Benefit Profile

A Regional Fringe Benefit Profile was completed for the Iowa Lakes Corridor region by Iowa Workforce Development in 2011. 485 businesses in the region were sent the survey, and 52% of them, 252, provided responses.

Highlights from this study include:

63.5% of employers in the Iowa Lakes Corridor offer a fringe benefit package in addition to wage compensation

8.4% of employers offering a benefits package are union negotiated

The average hours worked to be considered full-time is 38 per week

91.8% of businesses surveyed employ at least one full-time employee
62.3% of businesses surveyed employ at least one part-time employee
22.5% of businesses surveyed employ at least one temporary/seasonal employees

Percent of Employers Offering Health/Medical Insurance by Industry

Industry	Percent offering
Agriculture	60%
Waste Management	55.6%
Construction	55.6%
Education	85.7%
Finance/Insurance	63.6%
Food Service	23.1%
Government	100%
Health Care/Social Assistance	70.6%
Manufacturing	83.3%
Warehouse/Transportation	69.2%
Wholesale/Retail Trade	66.7%
Information Services	80%

Percent of Employers Offering Insurance Options

Medical – 50.4%
Prescription Drugs – 44.3%
Dental Coverage – 22.1%
Vision Insurance – 16%

For Accidental Death and Dismemberment for full-time employees, coverage is determined by one of three methods:

12.3% total annual salary
21.4% percent/specified number of annual salary
43.9% flat rate

For Life Insurance for full-time employees, coverage is determined by one of three methods:

8% total annual salary
17% percent/specified number of annual salary
50% flat rate
38.6% offer additional life insurance that employees may purchase beyond coverage employer provides

For Short-Term Disability for full-time employees, 52.8% of employers have a waiting period prior to employees being able to utilize short-term disability.

For Long-Term Disability for full-time employees, 71.1% of employers use a percent of salary to determine coverage. Average percent used to calculate the benefit is 62% of salary.

Percent of Employers Offering Insurance by Employment Numbers (All Industries)

Employment Range	Percent Offering
1-24 employees	56.9%
25-49 employees	93.3%
50-99 employees	91.7%
100-249 employees	100%
250+ employees	61.1%

In industry cluster results, 100% of employers that responded to the survey in both advanced manufacturing and biosciences said they offer a benefit package.

Click here to download the 2011 Fringe Benefit Profile. ( 1.2 MB )