It’s all about the money.

At least that’s what Carl Moon, vice president of Baxter and Woodman Inc. in Illinois, said tops the list of what graduates entering the work force care about.

“Iowa has a lot to offer, but the new graduates want the money,” Moon said at the Engineering Career Expo.

Moon represented one of the 136 companies that attended the Feb. 11 event at Hilton Coliseum.

Many college graduates learn to balance starting pay with desired working locations.

While Iowa has come under fire for low starting salaries, some believe Iowa is competitive with other states.

Agricultural and chemical engineers who start out at Archer Daniels Midland will receive the same starting salary and benefit package whether they are located in Iowa or Tennessee, said James Patterson, college relations representative for the company.

“All our engineers get the same amount of money,” he said. “It is based on what type of engineering they are in — not location.”

Patterson said chemical engineering graduates in 2003 could expect to make $52,500 at ADM, which is $2,000 more than their agricultural engineering counterparts.

Meanwhile, retention of college graduates in agriculture is improving.

Michael Gaul, director of career placement for Agriculture Career Services, said most of the graduates he works with stay in Iowa for several reasons.

“First of all, we’ve got the jobs here,” he said. “It is an ag-oriented state. Second, kids in ag grew up on farms and want to stay close to home.”

The starting salaries for information technology graduates this year is $43,000 at Yellow Technologies in Overland Park, Kan., said Kimberlie McClellan, human resources representative with the company.

She said the sluggish economy has led the company to work hard to retain employees they already have and focus recruiting at fewer colleges.

“We are trying to focus on three or four good schools,” McClellan said.

“We want to focus on interns with the idea of being able to hire them full-time.”

Cargill Industries sets its salary standard based on what they pay people in Minneapolis, said Greg Faith, chemical engineer for Cargill. He said all starting salaries are the same for the engineers they hire.

“If you live in Iowa, that’s an advantage,” Faith said.

Students looking at starting pay after graduation should also consider the cost of living in the area they’d be working in, recruiters said.

The median value of a house in the Des Moines suburb of Clive is $180,700 versus $162,800 for a home in Overland Park and $198,300 for a home in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Clint Rabe, senior in mechanical engineering, said although he is from Illinois, he would stay in Iowa if given the right opportunity.

“I have found the whole state to be friendly,” he said. “The national starting average for mechanical engineers is around $48,500. I’m looking just above that.”