Skip to content
CostToUpgrade
CalculatorsCost GuidesCost DataMethodology Search Browse calculators
24 datasets · 51 markets each

Home improvement cost by state

The same job does not cost the same in Mississippi and Massachusetts. These datasets show what 24 common projects run per unit in every US state, so you can tell whether the quote in front of you is normal for your market — or not.

Reviewed by The CostToUpgrade Estimating Desk Last reviewed How we estimate

Every tracked project

National baseline, the cheapest and priciest markets, and how wide the gap is between them.

Project Unit US average Cheapest Priciest Spread
Asphalt Driveway per ton installed $130 $109MS $176HI 61%
Baseboard per linear foot installed $4.00 $3.36MS $5.40HI 61%
Brick per square foot installed $12.00 $10.08MS $16.20HI 61%
Carpet per square foot installed $4.50 $3.78MS $6.08HI 61%
Concrete Cost per cubic yard delivered $165 $139MS $223HI 61%
Concrete Footing per cubic yard delivered $165 $139MS $223HI 61%
Deck Boards per square foot installed $35 $29MS $47HI 61%
Drywall per sheet installed $75 $63MS $101HI 61%
Exterior Paint per gallon of exterior paint $52 $44MS $70HI 61%
Fence per linear foot installed $25 $21MS $34HI 61%
Flooring per square foot installed $8.00 $6.72MS $10.80HI 61%
Grass Seed per square foot $0.18 $0.15OK $0.24HI 60%
Gravel per ton delivered $45 $38MS $61HI 61%
Gutters per linear foot installed $9.00 $7.56MS $12.15HI 61%
Insulation per square foot installed $2.00 $1.68MS $2.70HI 61%
Metal Roofing per square foot of panel $4.50 $3.78MS $6.08HI 61%
Pavers per square foot installed $20.00 $16.80MS $27.00HI 61%
Retaining Wall per square foot installed $30 $25MS $41HI 61%
Roofing Shingles per square installed $450 $378MS $608HI 61%
Sand per ton delivered $42 $35MS $57HI 61%
Siding per square of siding material $260 $218MS $351HI 61%
Sod per pallet delivered $185 $155MS $250HI 61%
Topsoil per cubic yard delivered $45 $38MS $61HI 61%
Wallpaper per square foot installed $5.00 $4.20MS $6.75HI 61%

The regional pattern

Relative construction cost by region, averaged across our index. The pattern holds for nearly every trade: the coasts and the Northeast run high, the South runs low, and the Midwest sits close to the national line.

Northeast

1.12

cost index · +12% vs national

Midwest

0.95

cost index · -5% vs national

South

0.93

cost index · -7% vs national

West

1.07

cost index · +7% vs national

Open a dataset

Concrete Asphalt Driveway cost by state $130 per ton installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Interior & Insulation Baseboard cost by state $4.00 per linear foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Masonry Brick cost by state $12.00 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Flooring Carpet cost by state $4.50 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Concrete Concrete Cost cost by state $165 per cubic yard delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Concrete Concrete Footing cost by state $165 per cubic yard delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Decks & Fences Deck Boards cost by state $35 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Interior & Insulation Drywall cost by state $75 per sheet installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Painting Exterior Paint cost by state $52 per gallon of exterior paint nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Decks & Fences Fence cost by state $25 per linear foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Flooring Flooring cost by state $8.00 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Grass Seed cost by state $0.18 per square foot nationally, 60% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Gravel cost by state $45 per ton delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Siding & Exterior Gutters cost by state $9.00 per linear foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Interior & Insulation Insulation cost by state $2.00 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Roofing Metal Roofing cost by state $4.50 per square foot of panel nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Pavers cost by state $20.00 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Masonry Retaining Wall cost by state $30 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Roofing Roofing Shingles cost by state $450 per square installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Sand cost by state $42 per ton delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Siding & Exterior Siding cost by state $260 per square of siding material nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Sod cost by state $185 per pallet delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Landscaping Topsoil cost by state $45 per cubic yard delivered nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states Painting Wallpaper cost by state $5.00 per square foot installed nationally, 61% spread across 51 markets. View all 51 states

How to actually use this

  1. Find your unit price. Open the dataset for your project and read your state's row.
  2. Get your quantity. Run the matching calculator with your real dimensions. That part is exact arithmetic, not an estimate.
  3. Multiply, then add what is missing. Material-only units still need labor, delivery, tax, disposal, and permits. Assume those roughly double a material-only figure on a labor-heavy job.
  4. Compare against bids. If a quote sits more than about 25% outside the range, the scope almost certainly differs. Ask what is included before you assume anyone is overcharging.

Our full sourcing and review process is documented on the methodology page.

Cost data: FAQ

What is a construction cost index?
It is a single multiplier that expresses how expensive it is to build in one market relative to a national baseline of 1.00. An index of 1.20 means the same scope of work costs roughly 20% more there. The idea comes from commercial estimating practice, where city cost indices have been used for decades to port a budget from one market to another without re-pricing every line item.
Why do you publish one page per project instead of one per state?
Because a comparison is only useful when you can see the whole set. Splitting the same table into 51 near-identical pages would make each one thinner, harder to scan, and — bluntly — worse than the page you are reading. It also happens to be the pattern search engines penalize as scaled content abuse. One page per project, every market on it, is both the more useful and the more defensible design.
How current are these figures?
We re-review the national baselines on a published schedule; the last full price review was August 2026. Individual project pages carry their own last-reviewed date. Material prices move fastest — lumber and steel can swing double digits within a quarter — so treat anything more than a few months old as directional and confirm with a current supplier quote.
Do these numbers include labor?
Only where the unit label says so. Units described as "installed" or "per linear foot installed" include a typical labor component; units described as material prices do not. This distinction matters more than the number itself — comparing a material-only figure against an installed quote is the single most common budgeting mistake we see.