Fence Installers in the Davenport area earn a median of $52,510 a year, 8% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #15 of 51 metros for fence installer pay nationwide.
It's the only Iowa metro with published pay for this trade; see statewide fence installer pay, including rural areas.
Fence Installer pay in Davenport at a glance
- Fence installers in the Davenport, IA metro earn a median $52,510 a year ($25.25 an hour), #15 of 51 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $37,550 and $61,100.
- After local prices, that median buys what $58,948 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $852 a month, 19% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among fence installers in Davenport.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for fence installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.7%) and the population is shrinking (-0.9% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 473 one-person site prep & specialty contracting businesses averaging $67,226 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $68/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Davenport scorecard for fence installers Our calculation
Grades compare Davenport with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($48,410).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Davenport Our calculation
Prices in Davenport run 11% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $58,948 would in a typical place, ranking #3 of 51 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Davenport from this pay, local rent and prices.
What fence installers do
Erect and repair fences and fence gates, using hand and power tools.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Establish the location for a fence, and gather information needed to ensure that there are no electric cables or water lines in the area.
- Set metal or wooden posts in upright positions in postholes.
- Measure and lay out fence lines and mark posthole positions, following instructions, drawings, or specifications.
- Align posts, by lines or sighting, and verify vertical alignment of posts, using plumb bobs or spirit levels.
- Attach rails or tension wire along bottoms of posts to form fencing frames.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, fence installer jobs are projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 2,500 openings a year. About 21% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often fence installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Iowa Official source
The main state licensing office in Iowa is the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. It can point you to the right license for fence installers.
Official Iowa licensing site ↗
Requirements for fence installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, fence installers have 118 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.4× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Davenport area's unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just fence installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.2% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Davenport area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 0% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Davenport area's population shrank 0.9% from 2020 to 2025 (383,767 → 380,452), ranking #331 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -1,949).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Davenport
The Davenport area has about 175,638 homes. 70% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 7% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $182,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Davenport are down 5% from 2021 to 2025 (629 → 595).
In 2025 the Davenport area approved permits for 595 new homes (377 single-family), or 1.6 per 1,000 residents, ranking #325 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 473 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $67,226 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Davenport compares among the best cities to start a fence installer business.
They compete with 114 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 885 workers in total). 61% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Davenport Government data
In an average year, Davenport has 13 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 136 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 65 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 82°F and winter nights 17°F. That matters for fence installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Davenport, IA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $52,510 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get fence installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Davenport with another city →
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ToolDavenport budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Davenport metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Davenport against every other metro for fence installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.