Window replacement data for Des Moines: what the federal numbers say
Free local data for window replacement work in Des Moines, taken from federal sources and last pulled October 30, 2026. It covers the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area, starting with the homes and moving on to the local trade.
The housing here
Windows are original equipment until someone swaps them, so the age of the stock is a proxy for how many are due. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area, 45,725 of 314,368 homes (14.5%) were built before 1940, and 83,859 (26.7%) before 1960. Nationally the shares are 11.7% and 25.6%. The median home across the metro is worth $267,400, against $332,700 nationally. 30.5% of households rent.
| Area | Homes | Median year built | Built before 1940 | Built before 1960 | Renters | Median value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area | 314,368 | 1985 | 14.5% | 26.7% | 30.5% | $267,400 |
| Polk County, Iowa | 218,486 | 1982 | 14.2% | 28.2% | 32.6% | $262,100 |
| Dallas County, Iowa | 44,804 | 2006 | 9.1% | 13.3% | 31.0% | $355,600 |
| Warren County, Iowa | 21,921 | 1985 | 10.9% | 19.3% | 17.7% | $269,600 |
| Des Moines (city) | 97,604 | 1961 | 26.7% | 49.0% | 39.5% | $194,700 |
| West Des Moines (city) | 34,006 | 1994 | 4.2% | 12.4% | 42.6% | $309,000 |
| Iowa | 1,437,699 | 1972 | 23.5% | 37.9% | 28.3% | $208,000 |
| United States | 143,775,355 | 1980 | 11.7% | 25.6% | 34.8% | $332,700 |
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024. Counties shown are the main ones in the metro (6 in all).
The local market
County Business Patterns counts 108 finish carpentry contractors across the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area, 3.66 for every ten thousand households. That is roughly one for every 2,730 households. The Census counts locations rather than companies, so a one-truck operator and a national chain's branch each count once. That code is wider than window work, so read it as an upper bound.
Home prices
The Federal Housing Finance Agency's house price index for Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA is up 1.6% over the latest year (through 2025). Over five years it is up 40.9%, and over ten it is up 68.2%. The index follows repeat sales of the same houses, so it measures how prices moved, not what any one home sells for this month.
What the trade pays
Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA earned a mean of $29.54 an hour ($61,450 a year) in May 2025, against $31.55 an hour ($65,630) nationally, about 6% below the national mean. The median is $29.50 an hour here and $29.12 nationally. BLS estimates 1,810 people hold that job in Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA.
No occupation code matches window replacement work exactly, so this uses the closest match: Carpenters. These are wages paid to workers, not prices charged to customers; a customer's bill also has to cover the vehicle and the insurance.
Where these numbers come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024, tables B25034, B25040, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25077, B01003, B11001
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2015-2019 (county trend comparison)
- FHFA House Price Index (all-transactions, annual, NSA), Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 238350 (finish carpentry / window install)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year 2020-2024, table B11001 (households, density denominator)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) (OEWS), Carpenters (47-2031), Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA, May 2025 (national benchmark: U.S.)
The American Community Survey is a sample, so every housing figure carries a margin of error, and it is widest for small areas. Where a source suppresses a cell to protect individual businesses or because the sample is too thin, we leave it blank rather than estimate it. Des Moines Window Desk reads these files and does not edit them.