Commercial roofing recruiters serving Des Moines-West Des Moines.
Des Moines is emerging as one of the country's fastest-growing data center hubs - Microsoft's $6B+ campus buildout and Weitz's 192-MW facility are real large-footprint roofing opportunities.
National parity, plus a data center boom.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below.
What the hub does flag directly: Microsoft's and Weitz's data center campuses both carry "substantial roofing scope," with standard commercial roofing tracking close to national parity otherwise.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Des Moines-West Des Moines, and we verify real large-footprint data-center roofing history rather than a general roofing resume.
The story behind the demand.
One of the country's fastest-emerging data center hubs.
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A 245,000 sq ft first-phase facility, the latest addition to Microsoft's five existing West Des Moines campuses, carries substantial large-footprint roofing scope.
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A 192-megawatt data center campus for a confidential client adds another large-footprint industrial roofing project to the region's pipeline.
What commercial roofing roles pay in Des Moines.
In the Des Moines metro, BLS puts the median for roofers at $49,510 a year, 11% below the $55,440 national median. Among the 104 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Des Moines ranks 54th on pay. Most of the market sits between $37,870 and $68,480. Of the other field roles, sheet metal worker pays the most locally, at a $66,000 median. BLS does not publish Des Moines pay for roofing helper, which it withholds where a metro's sample is too small to be reliable. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Roofing Salary Guide.
| Role | Des Moines median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial RooferRoofers (47-2181) | $49,510 | $37,870–$68,480 | $55,440 | −11% | 280 |
| Roofing HelperHelpers--Roofers (47-3016) | – | – | $44,160 | – | – |
| Sheet Metal WorkerSheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | $66,000 | $44,080–$92,330 | $61,800 | +7% | 350 |
| Roofing ForemanFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $82,090 | $60,380–$103,990 | $79,920 | +3% | – |
| EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,500 | $48,940–$121,400 | $78,740 | 0% | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Des Moines metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how the commercial roofing hiring game actually plays out in this market in 2026. The five things below are what we tell every roofing client here at intake.
Why this metro publishes no distinct roofing wage figure - and what that means for offers
This metro's own market data doesn't break out a separate commercial-roofer wage row the way most metros we track do; the closest published figure is the region's general commercial estimator rate, which runs about 2% above national - essentially at parity. We benchmark roofing offers against that near-parity baseline rather than inventing a roofing-specific number that doesn't exist in the metro's own data.
Why Microsoft and Weitz are the real opportunity
This metro's own market data names Microsoft's and Weitz's data center campuses as both carrying "substantial roofing scope," while standard commercial roofing tracks close to national parity otherwise - Des Moines is emerging as one of the country's top data center hubs.
Where commercial roofing talent comes from in this market
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial roofing contractors in Des Moines-West Des Moines. Standard commercial roofing crews draw on a genuinely available regional pipeline at near-national cost. Foremen with real large-footprint data-center roofing capability are the harder fill.
Credentials worth filtering for
What actually separates candidates in this market: verified large-footprint data-center-campus roofing project history - the specific opportunity the metro's own market data flags around Microsoft and Weitz.
Realistic timelines, by role
Standard roles: 4-6 weeks intake to signed offer, close to national average. Foremen for data-center-scale work run longer given how specifically that scale narrows the pool. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours regardless.
The roofing positions we fill, most often.
Across all commercial roofing clients in this metro, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months. Foremen with real large-footprint data-center roofing experience are the role in genuine short supply - everything else draws on the metro's own available regional pipeline.
- Large-footprint data-center-campus roofing foreman (Microsoft/Weitz-scale)
- Commercial roofing foreman (general)
- Commercial roofing estimator
- Roofing project manager
- Roofing safety manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Des Moines-West Des Moines, see the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro overview. To learn more about commercial roofing generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Commercial Roofing industry page.
How we recruit commercial roofing in Des Moines, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in this commercial roofing segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. Here, we also confirm the deck scale, since Microsoft- or Weitz-scale data-center work needs a different sourcing pool.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing candidate network in this metro, filtered for verified large-footprint data-center experience where required.
- Vetted short list (week one). Three to five candidates. We verify real project-delivery history at the right scale rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against the region's general commercial estimator benchmark, since this metro publishes no roofing-specific wage figure.
Des Moines runs 21% fewer commercial roofing workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Roofers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Des Moines's commercial roofing market compares
In 2023 the Des Moines metro had 19 nonresidential roofing contractors (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. That works out to 2.6 per 100,000 residents against 1.8 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often.
Among the 95 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Des Moines ranks 74th for headcount, 50th for median pay and 60th for concentration for roofers.
What this means for hiring:For commercial roofing employers in Des Moines, the local pool is thinner than most, so plan on recruiting some roles in from outside the metro.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Des Moines metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Des Moines's commercial roofing market has changed since 2018.
The number of nonresidential roofing contractors in Des Moines rose from 16 in 2018 to 19 in 2023, up 19%, ahead of the 10% national rise. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: business locations | 16 | 19 | +19% |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: employment | 336 | – | – |
| Nonresidential roofing contractors: average annual pay | $54,934 | – | – |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial roofing hiring in Des Moines.
What major projects are driving commercial roofing demand in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Microsoft's $210M+ "Ruthenium" data center (part of its $6B+ total West Des Moines investment) and the Weitz Company's 192-megawatt data center campus both carry substantial large-footprint roofing scope.
Is there a specialty roofing premium tied to the region's data center growth?
This metro's own market data names Microsoft's and Weitz's data center campuses as both carrying substantial roofing scope, but does not publish a separate percentage for that opportunity.
What do roofers earn in Des Moines?
BLS puts the Des Moines median for roofers at $49,510 a year, 11% below the $55,440 national median. That ranks 54th of 104 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $37,870 and $68,480, a 1.8x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire roofers in Des Moines?
Yes. Des Moines has 21% fewer roofers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 280 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. With 19% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial roofing roles pay the most in Des Moines?
Of the roles we recruit for, Roofing Foreman pays the most in Des Moines, a $82,090 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Sheet Metal Worker at $66,000, 20% below it. Commercial Roofer is the lowest-paid field role at $49,510. Relative to national pay, Sheet Metal Worker is the strongest-paying role here (7% above). Commercial Roofer trails national pay the most (11% below).
How many nonresidential roofing contractors operate in Des Moines?
BLS counted 19 nonresidential roofing contractors in Des Moines in 2023. Up from 16 in 2018, a 19% increase against 10% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Des Moines for roofers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Omaha (123 miles, about 870, $46,460 median), Kansas City (180 miles, about 880, $58,420 median) and Minneapolis (234 miles, about 1,250, $75,400 median). Omaha has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Kansas City pays 18% more, which is where Des Moines employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial roofing talent in Des Moines-West Des Moines?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you wages, timeline, and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.