How much does a 400 sq ft deck cost in Dubuque, IA?
| Typical total$31 per ft² of deck | $12,422 |
|---|---|
| Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this | $9,411 – $18,822 |
| Labor portion55% of the job — this is the part that moves by city | $6,832 |
| Material portion45% — bought at national prices | $5,590 |
| Carpenters pay near Dubuqueabout $28/hr · Dubuque, IA metro | $58,600/yr |
| U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2031 | $65,630/yr |
| Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs −10.7% against the U.S. mean | −$778 |
Notes
- Where the number comes from. The national price for a pressure-treated deck build is $33 per ft² of deck — pressure-treated deck pricing published for 2026, $25–$50 per ft² installed. Labor is about 55% of that. Carpenters near Dubuque, IA average $58,600 a year against a U.S. mean of $65,630 — a factor of 0.893 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Dubuque, IA metro area, SOC 47-2031.
- Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
- What is in the price: footings, framing, pressure-treated decking, fasteners, a code-compliant railing, and labor.
- What is not: stairs beyond two steps, permits, ledger repair on the house, and any grading work. These are the lines that turn a $12,422 quote into a $15,528 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
- Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.
a pressure-treated deck build in Dubuque, IA
$12,422 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $9,411 and $18,822.
That is $778 less than the same job priced at the national average.
Why the city changes the number
About 55% of this job is labor — $6,832 of the $12,422 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.
Carpenters near Dubuque average $58,600 a year, against a U.S. mean of $65,630. That is a factor of 0.893, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Dubuque, IA metro area, SOC 47-2031.
What the quote should include
The lines that turn a quote into an invoice
Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $12,422 and something a quarter higher.
Use it as a bid check, not a quote
This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.
If a bid lands outside $9,411 – $18,822, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.
Nearby sizes
Read more
- Deck Cost by State — Priced From BLS Carpenter PayDeck quotes vary more within a town than between states, and this table shows why: carpenter pay ranges 45% across the country but only lands on 55% of the bill.
- Deck Screws per Square Foot: The Count, the Length, and the Coating That MattersRoughly 350 screws per hundred square feet at standard spacing — and the coating rating matters more to the deck's life than the count does.
- Cost to Replace Deck Boards Only: When Resurfacing Beats RebuildingResurfacing saves roughly half the cost of a rebuild, provided the frame underneath has more life left than the boards you are about to screw to it.
- Deck Board Gap: Why Wet Lumber and Composite Need Opposite NumbersThere is no single correct gap. There is a correct gap for a board that is going to shrink and a different one for a board that is going to grow.