Telecom Equipment Installers in the Des Moines area earn a median of $66,920 a year, 8% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #104 of 320 metros for telecom equipment installer salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, but less in Ames.
It's one of 8 Iowa metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide telecom equipment installer pay.
Telecom Equipment Installer pay in Des Moines at a glance
- Telecom equipment installers in the Des Moines, IA metro earn a median $66,920 a year ($32.18 an hour), #104 of 320 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $47,310 and $85,190.
- After local prices, that median buys what $72,976 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,126 a month, 20% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom equipment installers in Des Moines.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom equipment installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and also above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.5%) and the population is growing faster than most (+6.7% since 2020).
Des Moines scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare Des Moines 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 ($62,240).
Pay over time
The median pay for telecom equipment installers in the Des Moines area went from $53,950 in 2020 to $66,920 in 2025, up 24.0%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -1.1% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Des Moines Our calculation
Prices in Des Moines run 8% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $72,976 would in a typical place, ranking #74 of 319 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 Des Moines budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What telecom equipment installers do
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, telecom equipment installer jobs are projected to shrink 3.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 11,300 openings a year. About 1% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom equipment installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
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 telecom equipment installers.
Official Iowa licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom equipment installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, telecom equipment installers have 168 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying IA metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar RapidsIOWA · IA | $72,920 | $81,967 | 230 |
| DubuqueIOWA · IA | $68,980 | $78,990 | 40 |
| Des MoinesIOWA · IA | $66,920 | $72,976 | 510 |
| WaterlooIOWA · IA | $66,000 | $75,812 | 80 |
| AmesIOWA · IA | $65,470 | $73,703 | 80 |
| Sioux CityIOWA · IA | $65,430 | $75,682 | 110 |
| Iowa CityIOWA · IA | $62,870 | $68,704 | 70 |
| DavenportIOWA · IA | $60,140 | $67,513 | 250 |
See every metro in Iowa.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Des Moines area's unemployment rate was 3.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Des Moines area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 7% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 75% drive alone, 0% take transit and 14% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Des Moines area's population grew 6.7% from 2020 to 2025 (711,197 → 758,539), ranking #70 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +33,041) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Des Moines are down 10% from 2021 to 2025 (6,969 → 6,249).
In 2025 the Des Moines area approved permits for 6,249 new homes (3,426 single-family), or 8.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #46 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $66,920 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.
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ToolDes Moines budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Des Moines 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 Des Moines against every other metro for telecom equipment installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for telecom equipment installers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.