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Iowa · carpenters rank 30 of 50 · labor −4.7%
Deck building cost in Iowa
A 320 sq ft deck in pressure-treated pine deck comes to about $7,850 to $15,650 in Iowa when the national installed price keeps its materials and its labor part is scaled to what carpenters earn statewide. Permit fees are set by each city or town, not the state.
Wages and housing figures checked October 21, 2026 · sources
- 1Pressure-treated, 320 sq ft $7,850–$15,650
- 2IA labor index −4.7% vs US
- 3Median home value $208,000
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What carpenters earn in Iowa
Iowa's carpenters earn a median $27.75 an hour, below the US median of $29.12. That ranks 30 of 50 states, in the lower half of the country. Applied to the labor share of a 320 sq ft deck, that takes about $250 off the national midpoint.
The index is statewide. Wages inside Iowa differ by metro area, and a contractor's price also depends on overhead, insurance, travel and how busy the season is, none of which a wage median captures.
Deck building prices in Iowa by material
Each row starts from the installed price per square foot of deck that a national cost guide publishes and moves only the labor part by the Iowa index. For 320 sq ft:
| Material | National | Iowa | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure-treated pine deck | $8,000–$16,000 | $7,850–$15,650 | $11,750 |
| Cedar deck | $9,600–$15,050 | $9,450–$14,700 | $12,050 |
| Composite deck | $12,800–$25,600 | $12,650–$25,250 | $18,950 |
By size
| Deck area (sq ft) | National | Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 144 sq ft | $3,600–$7,200 | $3,550–$7,050 |
| 240 sq ft | $6,000–$12,000 | $5,900–$11,750 |
| 320 sq ft | $8,000–$16,000 | $7,850–$15,650 |
| 400 sq ft | $10,000–$20,000 | $9,800–$19,600 |
Pressure-treated pine deck. The labor part of this job is $3,500–$7,050 at national rates and $3,350–$6,700 at Iowa rates.
Iowa homes and incomes
The median owner-occupied home in Iowa is valued at $208,000 (US: $332,700), one of the ten lowest state medians. The midpoint estimate here is 5.6% of that value, a sizeable share. Against the state's median household income of $75,059, the same midpoint equals 1.9 months of income. 71.7% of Iowa's occupied homes are owner-occupied (US 65.2%), so a larger share of households buy this work themselves.
Permits in Iowa
Building-permit fees are set locally. No Iowa town schedule has been collected for this site yet, so this page shows no permit amount. The national cost guide puts deck permits at $50–$150; the local building department can give the real figure and say whether one is needed.
Other projects in Iowa
| Project | Trade index | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement, 2,000 sq ft | Roofers −12.2% | $7,650–$11,250 |
| Siding replacement, 1,500 sq ft | Carpenters −4.7% | $5,850–$17,600 |
| Heat pump installation, 2,000 sq ft home | HVAC mechanics and installers −0.5% | $9,950–$19,950 |
States ranked next to Iowa
Montana ($7,900–$15,800) · Arizona ($7,900–$15,750) · North Dakota ($7,850–$15,700) · Kansas ($7,800–$15,600) · Wyoming ($7,800–$15,550) · Virginia ($7,700–$15,450)
More: all states · how contractors price a roof · comparing three quotes
Sources
- Installed price: HomeGuide: Cost to build a deck (Feb 10, 2026) — “Pressure-treated pine $25 – $50 (installed, per sq ft)”.
- Labor portion: HomeGuide: Cost to build a deck (Feb 10, 2026) — “The labor cost to build a new deck is $11 to $22 per square foot.”.
- Statewide wage: O*NET OnLine, Carpenters (47-2031), Iowa local wages (BLS 2025 wage data).
- Housing and income: Census QuickFacts, Iowa (ACS 2020-2024); US: QuickFacts, United States.
Checked October 21, 2026. Estimates are ranges built from published averages, not quotes. Cost by Town does not perform or arrange work.