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How much does a 288 sq ft deck cost in Iowa City, IA?

A pressure-treated deck build in Iowa City, IA
$8,585
288 ft² of deck · typical range $6,504 – $13,007
Typical total$30 per ft² of deck$8,585
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$6,504 – $13,007
Labor portion55% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$4,722
Material portion45% — bought at national prices$3,863
Carpenters pay near Iowa Cityabout $26/hr · Iowa City, IA metro$54,090/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2031$65,630/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs −17.6% against the U.S. mean−$919

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 Iowa City, IA average $54,090 a year against a U.S. mean of $65,630 — a factor of 0.824 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Iowa City, 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 $8,585 quote into a $10,731 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 Iowa City, IA

$8,585 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $6,504 and $13,007.

That is $919 less than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 55% of this job is labor — $4,722 of the $8,585 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Carpenters near Iowa City average $54,090 a year, against a U.S. mean of $65,630. That is a factor of 0.824, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Iowa City, 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 $8,585 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 $6,504 – $13,007, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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