Handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa: licensing, jobs, pay and local data

15,720 people work as handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa, and the median pay is $51,270 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024).

The Census Bureau counts 1,156 residential remodeling businesses with employees in Iowa (2023 County Business Patterns).

That is 8.0 businesses per 10,000 homes, against 9.4 nationally.

Iowa ranks 14 of 51 states for median pay in this trade.

It ranks 32 of 51 for businesses per 10,000 homes.

Figures last updated on .

Jobs
15,720
Median pay, a year
$51,270
Businesses with employees
1,156

Handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa: businesses and jobs

Census Bureau 2023; Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2024
IowaUnited States
Businesses with employees1,156135,337
Their employees3,332480,272
Annual payroll$159,205,000$27,353,358,000
Payroll per employee$47,781$56,954
Businesses per 10,000 homes8.09.4
Jobs15,7201,531,700
Jobs per 1,000 jobs10.07—
Location quotient (1.00 = the national share)1.011.00

A location quotient above 1 means the trade’s share of all jobs is larger here than nationally.

What handymen and maintenance workers earn in Iowa

May 2024, US Bureau of Labor Statistics
IowaUnited States
Median pay, a year$51,270$48,620
Median pay, an hour$24.65$23.38
10th percentile$35,360$33,860
25th percentile$43,100$39,050
75th percentile$61,240$61,710
90th percentile$70,580$76,110
Average pay, a year$52,760$52,430

Handymen and maintenance workers by county in Iowa

Businesses with employees, 2023 County Business Patterns
CountyBusinesses with employeesTheir employeesBusinesses per 10,000 homes
Polk County1786228.1
Linn County743097.2
Scott County621857.9
Dallas County401018.9
Black Hawk County391676.6
Johnson County35815.1
Story County34748.1
Dubuque County321067.4
Woodbury County311197.1
Warren County285312.8
Pottawattamie County23655.7
Washington County216421.7
Boone County194115.8
Cerro Gordo County17377.5
Clinton County17397.9
Muscatine County17399.2
Sioux County175612.8
Carroll County161416.7
Jasper County16249.8
Cedar County143616.9
Jones County144015.7
Marion County14189.7
Plymouth County132111.9
Dickinson County12238.4
Lee County12677.6
Kossuth County111715.3
Madison County113215.5
Marshall County11426.5
Wapello County11257.0
Buchanan County103611.2
Jackson County103310.8
Mahaska County101010.3
Hancock County92617.6
Lyon County91618.5
O'Brien County93213.7
Page County93112.8
Calhoun County81916.7
Clay County8369.8
Delaware County8169.8
Jefferson County81110.4
Webster County8104.7
Buena Vista County7228.4
Cass County71610.9
Clayton County7138.0
Crawford County71710.2
Des Moines County7183.7
Hamilton County7129.9
Iowa County769.5
Poweshiek County7177.8
Benton County6105.4
Cherokee County62810.8
Hardin County6147.5
Mills County6119.8
Osceola County6820.9
Winneshiek County6156.6
Emmet County51011.1
Franklin County5710.7
Fremont County51216.0
Guthrie County5168.6
Harrison County587.5

Showing the 60 counties with the most businesses, of 79.

The homes behind the work in Iowa

Estimate (90% margin of error)
IowaUnited States
Households that rent28.3% (±0.3 points)34.8%
Homes built before 194023.5% (±0.2 points)11.7%
Homes in buildings of 20 or more units6.9% (±0.2 points)10.3%
Housing units1,437,699 (±523)143,775,355

Licenses for handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa

Iowa sets its own licenses for this trade, and many cities and counties add their own; the US Department of Labor’s License Finder lists each license Iowa requires and the agency that issues it.

Before work starts, the local building department says which permits the job needs and which license the person pulling them must hold.

Federal rules and model codes for handymen and maintenance workers

These federal rules apply to this work in every state, and the model codes below are adopted state by state; each is linked to its official text.

Business counts are establishments: a company with offices in two counties is counted in each.

Jobs and pay are for the occupation in every industry, so they include people employed by builders, property managers and governments as well as by contractors.

What you can do on Seayora in Iowa

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Questions about Iowa

How much do handymen and maintenance workers make in Iowa?

The median pay for handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa is $51,270 a year, against $48,620 nationally (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024).

How many handymen and maintenance workers work in Iowa?

15,720 people work as handymen and maintenance workers in Iowa, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2024 count of jobs.

How many residential remodeling businesses are in Iowa?

The Census Bureau counts 1,156 residential remodeling businesses with employees in Iowa (2023 County Business Patterns).

Do handymen and maintenance workers need a license in Iowa?

Iowa sets its own licenses for this trade, and many cities and counties add their own; the US Department of Labor’s License Finder lists each license Iowa requires and the agency that issues it.

Sources

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them. Rules are summarized from their official text, which governs; this page is not legal advice, and a state or city may add requirements of its own.

Figures last updated on .

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