Front door cost in Dubuque, IA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (1 door)
- $490 – $2,400
- Per door
- $490 – $2,378
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −4%
- US $1,500
- Rank of 300 metros
- #145
- 1 = most expensive
A new front door in Dubuque, IA usually costs $490 to $2,400 for 1 door. That works out to about $490 to $2,378 per door before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $65 less. Building materials run about 6% below the US average here (BEA goods price index 93.7).
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Estimated cost for 1 door in Dubuque, IA, standard level
$1,050 to $1,800
About $1,056 to $1,812 per door before permits. Labor is about 28% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $690 | $1,350 |
| Labor | $360 | $440 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,050 | $1,800 |
Cost breakdown for 1 door in Dubuque, IA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $190 | $1,050 | $1,850 | 72% |
| Labor | $300 | $400 | $500 | 28% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $490 | $1,450 | $2,400 | 100% |
Where the Dubuque price comes from
Labor is 28% of the midpoint bill here, against 27% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is carpenters (85%), general maintenance and repair workers (15%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Dubuque the blended ratio comes out at 1.01.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Dubuque is at 93.7 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $1,100 nationally becomes $1,050 here (midpoint, 1 door). Permits follow the all-items index of 87.3: $0 to $0.
Pick a size, pick a tier: front door pricing in Dubuque
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Dubuque. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from single entry door to front and side doors.
Basic
$490 to $1,250
Basic steel door, same size opening
Standard
$1,050 to $1,800
Fiberglass door with sidelight trim or glass
Premium
$1,600 to $2,400
Wood or custom door, frame work needed
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| single entry door | $490 – $1,250 | $1,050 – $1,800 | $1,600 – $2,400 |
| front and side doors | $980 – $2,500 | $2,100 – $3,600 | $3,250 – $4,750 |
Dubuque weather and the front door calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Dubuque Rgnl Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For exterior installation, the comfortable months in Dubuque are April through November: 8 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March and December have an average daytime high under 45°F.
In January, February, March and December the average high stays below 45°F. Sealants, adhesives and some materials, such as vinyl, are harder to install well in the cold, and short daylight cuts the working day.
Dubuque gets about 38 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 43 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and July (5.2 inches in June). Inside the workable window, October and November are the driest, at 2.9 and 2.2 inches. The station averages about 6 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 11 | 1.3 | Cold |
| Feb | 31 | 15 | 1.6 | Cold |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 2.3 | Cold |
| Apr | 58 | 37 | 4.1 | Workable |
| May | 69 | 49 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Dec | 32 | 17 | 1.8 | Cold |
Specs and site conditions that change a Dubuque bid
Paint
Painting an unfinished door adds $125-$225; door and trim together are $150-$400.
Door material
Basic steel doors run about $200-$600 for the door; fiberglass and wood go to $2,000 (HomeGuide).
Double doors
A double front door costs $1,500-$6,500+ installed; the doors alone are $1,200-$5,000.
How Dubuque compares
Same job, same size (1 door), priced for the nearest metros. Madison is the priciest of the group at $1,450. Iowa City is the cheapest at $1,350.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque, IAthis page | $490 – $2,400 | $1,450 | |
| Cedar Rapids, IA45 miles | $480 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −1% |
| Iowa City, IA75 miles | $440 – $2,300 | $1,350 | −5% |
| Davenport, IA75 miles | $490 – $2,400 | $1,450 | level |
| Madison, WI80 miles | $510 – $2,400 | $1,450 | +2% |
| Waterloo, IA80 miles | $470 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −2% |
| Iowa (statewide) | $480 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −1% |
| United States | $500 – $2,500 | $1,500 | +5% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Dubuque ranks #145 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Dubuque is 1% above the Iowa figure.
Elsewhere in Iowa
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | 404,130 jobs | $490 – $2,400 | $1,450 | level |
| Davenport, IA | 180,450 jobs | $490 – $2,400 | $1,450 | level |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | 139,260 jobs | $480 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −1% |
| Iowa City, IA | 93,760 jobs | $440 – $2,300 | $1,350 | −5% |
| Waterloo, IA | 84,260 jobs | $470 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −2% |
| Sioux City, IA | 75,010 jobs | $460 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −3% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Dubuque against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona, PA | 58,650 jobs | $480 – $2,500 | $1,500 | +4% |
| Albany, GA | 58,390 jobs | $390 – $2,250 | $1,350 | −7% |
| Kingston, NY | 59,140 jobs | $500 – $2,500 | $1,500 | +5% |
| Wheeling, WV | 58,130 jobs | $440 – $2,350 | $1,400 | −3% |
What local crews earn in Dubuque
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 2 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Dubuque the blend is 1.01.
Carpenters (47-2031), 85% of the weighting: a median of $28.89 an hour, in line with the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $23.41 and $30.47 an hour. About 260 work in the metro. That is 44.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For general maintenance and repair workers (49-9071, weighted 15%) the local median is $26.13 an hour, which is 10% above the national $23.84. The middle half of them earn between $21.58 and $29.88 an hour. BLS counts 570 of them working in the area, 97.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 98.4), so the local bench is about average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (carpenters) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $20 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $65. That is a swing of roughly 4.5% to 1.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Dubuque has 58,470 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 292nd by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 85% | $23.41 | $28.89 | $30.47 | $29.12 | 0.99 | metro |
| General maintenance and repair workers (49-9071) | 15% | $21.58 | $26.13 | $29.88 | $23.84 | 1.10 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.01 | |||||
What nearby projects cost in Dubuque
Jobs that often go together with front door are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Dubuque wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, patio door comes out highest (−3%) and garage door lowest (−4%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm door | 1 door | $340 – $920 | −3% |
| Patio door | 1 door | $580 – $5,850 | −3% |
| Window replacement | 10 windows | $4,350 – $14,300 | −4% |
| Garage door | 1 door | $680 – $3,550 | −4% |
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Front door in Dubuque: your questions
+How much does it cost to replace a front door in Dubuque?
For 1 door, expect $490 to $2,400 in the Dubuque area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,050 to $1,800. Small jobs usually cost more per door and large ones less.
+What is the price per door for front door in Dubuque?
About $490 to $2,378 per door for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $500 to $2,500.
+Is front door cheaper in Dubuque or Cedar Rapids?
Cedar Rapids is 45 miles away. The midpoint for 1 door there is $1,400, which is 1% less than Dubuque ($1,450). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Dubuque?
About 28% at the midpoint, or $400 out of $1,450. Materials are 72% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 27%.
+What would front and side doors cost in Dubuque?
$980 to $4,750. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does front door need a permit in Dubuque?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Dubuque area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Dubuque expensive for front door compared with the rest of Iowa?
Dubuque is 1% above the Iowa statewide estimate ($1,400 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in Iowa; see the state page to compare them.
+What do carpenters earn in Dubuque?
The BLS median is $28.89 an hour in the Dubuque area, compared with $29.12 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.41 to $30.47.
+What do basic and premium front door work cost in Dubuque?
For 1 door, basic work runs $490 to $1,250 and premium work $1,600 to $2,400. Basic means: basic steel door, same size opening. Premium means: wood or custom door, frame work needed.
+When is the best time to replace a front door in Dubuque?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through November. October and November are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Front door near Dubuque
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Front Door Replacement Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = HomeGuide's door prices, from about $200 for a basic steel door to $2,000 for higher-end fiberglass or wood.