Short answer
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro had 2,012 construction establishments with paid employees in 2023, employing 22,683 people with $1.81 billion in annual payroll, according to Census County Business Patterns. Polk County has 1,326 of them and 82.9% of the jobs. The Weitz Company, Baker Group and The Waldinger Corporation are on the Greater Des Moines Partnership's list of the region's largest employers. Iowa requires contractors earning $2,000 or more a year from construction to register with the state.
- 2,012 construction establishments and 22,683 employees in metro Des Moines in 2023, with average pay of $79,909.
- Polk County has 65.9% of establishments and 82.9% of construction employees.
- Plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors average 25.1 employees, against 10.9 nationally.
- Units permitted in buildings of five or more more than doubled in 2025, from 1,221 to 2,675.
- Iowa contractors register every year once they earn $2,000 from construction; out-of-state contractors generally file a $25,000 bond.
On this page
- Des Moines construction at a glance
- Polk County and the suburbs
- Big mechanical contractors
- Contractors on the region's major employer list
- Housing permits: apartments more than doubled
- Iowa's contractor registration and trade licenses
- Hiring a contractor in Des Moines
- Selling to Des Moines contractors
- Where to find names
- Sources
- Questions people ask
This report is for people choosing or researching construction companies in Central Iowa: homeowners and businesses hiring a contractor, builders looking for subcontractors, job seekers, and B2B sellers covering the Des Moines market.
Des Moines construction at a glance
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, construction sector (NAICS 23), Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA Metro Area (CBSA 19780):
| Measure | Metro Des Moines, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Construction establishments | 2,012 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 22,683 |
| Annual payroll | $1,812,579,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 11.3 |
| Average annual pay | $79,909 |
| Share of US construction establishments | 0.25% (of 814,557) |
| Establishments with 1 to 19 employees | 1,773 (88.1%) |
| Establishments with 20 to 99 employees | 212 (10.5%) |
| Establishments with 100 or more employees | 27 (1.3%) |
The metro holds 22.2% of Iowa's 9,067 construction establishments and 30.6% of its 74,180 construction employees. The Census Bureau doesn't publish the 500 to 999 or 1,000-or-more cells here; the 100-or-more figure is the total less the smaller bands, and with 20 establishments at 100 to 249 and 5 at 250 to 499, that leaves 2 with 500 or more. CBP counts establishments (locations) with paid employees, not companies, and leaves out self-employed contractors.
Polk County and the suburbs
| County | Establishments | Employees | Average size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 1,326 | 18,804 | 14.2 |
| Dallas County | 274 | 1,556 | 5.7 |
| Warren County | 183 | 1,010 | 5.5 |
| Jasper County | 101 | 769 | 7.6 |
| Madison County | 88 | 315 | 3.6 |
| Guthrie County | 40 | 229 | 5.7 |
The six counties add up to the metro total. Polk County, home to Des Moines, West Des Moines and Ankeny, has two-thirds of the establishments and more than four-fifths of the construction jobs; the surrounding counties are mostly small builders and trades.
Big mechanical contractors
| Type of work (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees | Average here | Average in US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbing, heating and air conditioning (238220) | 216 | 5,416 | 25.1 | 10.9 |
| Electrical contractors (238210) | 180 | 3,303 | 18.4 | 12.2 |
| Commercial and institutional builders (236220) | 103 | 2,235 | 21.7 | 16.4 |
| Highway, street and bridge (2373) | 24 | 1,066 | 44.4 | 34.0 |
| Poured concrete foundation and structure (238110) | 102 | 678 | 6.6 | 11.7 |
| Roofing (238160) | 84 | 636 | 7.6 | 8.4 |
| Residential remodelers (236118) | 278 | 848 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
US averages are calculated from the CBP 2023 state files summed across all states. The Census Bureau marks the plumbing and HVAC, commercial builder and highway employee counts as moderate noise (changed by 2% to 5% for confidentiality). Even allowing for that, Des Moines' mechanical contractors are more than twice the national size. Concrete firms are the opposite: there are proportionally more of them (5.1% of establishments, against 2.9% nationally), but they're small.
Contractors on the region's major employer list
The Greater Des Moines Partnership, the region's chamber and economic development organization, publishes "a selection of the largest non-government employers" in the region. Three are contractors:
| Company (as listed) | Description on the list |
|---|---|
| The Weitz Company | General contractor, construction manager, design-builder |
| Baker Group | Full service contractor |
| The Waldinger Corporation | Complete mechanical, sheet metal, electrical, structured cabling and service contractor |
The list gives no employee counts. No SEC-registered listed construction company has its business address in the Des Moines metro.
Housing permits: apartments more than doubled
| Units authorized (Census Building Permits Survey) | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family | 3,710 | 3,422 |
| 2 to 4 units | 126 | 136 |
| 5 or more units | 1,221 | 2,675 |
| Total | 5,057 | 6,233 |
Total units rose 23.3% in 2025, entirely because of apartments; single-family permits fell 7.8%. For mechanical, electrical, fire protection and drywall contractors, that means more multifamily packages to bid, most of them through general contractors.
Iowa's contractor registration and trade licenses
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration | Contractors earning at least $2,000 a year from construction | Renewed every year; $50 application fee; administered by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) |
| Out-of-state bond | Contractors whose principal place of business is outside Iowa | Generally a $25,000 bond; an Iowa branch office doesn't exempt them |
| Plumbing and mechanical license | Plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, hydronic and sheet metal contractors | A separate contractor license from the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board; the joint application also issues a registration number |
| Electrical license | Electricians and electrical contractors | Licensed under Iowa Code chapter 103 |
Registration isn't a test of skill, but it's a useful floor: a firm that isn't registered and should be is a red flag, and the lookup is free.
Hiring a contractor in Des Moines
- Look the firm up in Iowa's contractor registration search and check that the registration is current.
- For plumbing, HVAC or electrical work, ask for the trade license number and confirm it with DIAL.
- Ask for recent permits from the city or county where your project is, and check them with that office.
- Get certificates of insurance and confirm them with the agent.
- Agree on a payment schedule tied to completed work, with lien waivers at each draw.
Selling to Des Moines contractors
| Size band | Establishments | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 19 employees | 1,773 | The owner |
| 20 to 99 employees | 212 | Owner with an operations or project manager |
| 100 or more | 27 | Operations, safety, purchasing and preconstruction leaders |
The market is small enough to research every account. With 239 establishments of 20 or more employees, a single rep can know each one by name, and the big mechanical and general contractors are worth account plans of their own; our account plan template is a starting point.
Illustrative example. The firm, fees and rates are invented; the counts are CBP 2023.
Raccoon River Safety (raccoonriversafety.example) provides site safety audits, OSHA training and safety-director-for-hire services. Its targets are the metro's 239 establishments with 20 or more employees, where a full-time safety manager is often one hire away. It assumes 40% don't yet have one, about 96 firms, and that each would spend $30,000 a year on outside safety services. Winning 20 clients is $600,000 a year. Knowing which firms just added crews or won a large multifamily job is the slow part; Bebop researches each company and suggests the opening angle.
Where to find names
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Iowa contractor registration search | Every registered contractor working in Iowa |
| DIAL contractor registration | Registration rules, bonds and renewals |
| Greater Des Moines Partnership member directory | Chamber members by category |
| Greater Des Moines Partnership recent projects | Business expansions that lead to construction |
| Census Building Permits Survey | Housing permits by metro, county and city |
For other industries in the metro, see insurance companies in Des Moines and staffing agencies in Des Moines. Across the state line to the west, see Omaha construction companies.
Next step: build the list with the construction companies industry guide.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Contractor registration, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, accessed 30 October 2026
- Plumbing and mechanical licensing, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, accessed 30 October 2026
- Electrical licensing, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, accessed 30 October 2026
- Major employers, Greater Des Moines Partnership, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data for 2025 (cbsa2512y), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Building Permits Survey, annual CBSA data for 2024 (cbsa2412y), US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many construction companies are in Des Moines?
The US Census Bureau counted 2,012 construction establishments with paid employees in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area in 2023, employing 22,683 people. Polk County had 1,326 of them. The count is of locations, not companies, and it excludes self-employed contractors with no employees, so the number of businesses offering construction services is higher.
Do contractors have to register in Iowa?
Yes. Iowa's Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing requires individual and business contractors to register if they earn at least $2,000 a year from construction, and to renew every year. Contractors whose principal place of business is outside Iowa generally must file a $25,000 bond. Plumbing and mechanical contractors also need a contractor license from the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board.
What are the largest construction companies in Des Moines?
The Greater Des Moines Partnership's selection of the region's largest non-government employers includes three contractors: The Weitz Company, a general contractor, construction manager and design-builder; Baker Group, a full service contractor; and The Waldinger Corporation, a mechanical, sheet metal, electrical and service contractor. The list doesn't give employee counts, and private firms don't publish revenue.
Is construction growing in Des Moines?
Housing permits rose in 2025. The Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey shows 6,233 new housing units authorized in the Des Moines metro in 2025, up 23.3% from 5,057. Units in buildings of five or more more than doubled, from 1,221 to 2,675, while single-family units fell from 3,710 to 3,422. Commercial projects aren't included.