Step 1: national prices from public cost guides
For each job we collect published prices from cost guides: Angi, HomeAdvisor, HomeGuide, Fixr, Forbes Home, NerdWallet, Thumbtack, This Old House, Bob Vila, U.S. News, ConsumerAffairs, Sears Home Services, Modernize, HomeLight, Block Renovation, Inch Calculator, Lawn Love and LawnStarter, plus the Cost vs Value 2025 report. For a few specific items we also use manufacturer pages, university extension services, a state septic rule and the US EPA. Each calculator page lists its sources with links and dates.
When sources disagree, we combine them instead of picking one:
- Low is the middle of the sources' low figures: a simple job, an easy site, an efficient crew.
- Typical is the middle of the typical figures sources state, or the midpoint of low and high when none does.
- High is the middle of the high figures: hard access, premium materials, busy seasons.
Step 2: what labor costs in your state
Labor changes most from state to state. We use the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (OEWS, May 2025) for the trades that do each job, such as carpenters for fences and HVAC mechanics for furnaces.
A wage isn't what a contractor bills. Employers also pay benefits and legally required costs, which BLS data on employer costs in construction (ECEC) puts at 43.8% on top of wages. Then the company adds overhead and profit. We use 20% for the low end, 25% for typical and 35% for the high end, in line with common builder and remodeler markups. So a billed hourly rate is the wage, plus 43.8%, plus 20%, 25% or 35%.
We compare that billed rate in your state with the national one. The result is the job's labor index: 1.00 means your state's trades cost the same as the national average; below 1.00 means they cost less, above 1.00 means more.
Step 3: what materials cost in your state
For goods we use the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for goods (2024), where the US average is 100. A state at 98 has goods prices a little below average. That number divided by 100 is the materials index.
Step 4: the state factor
Tree removal is about 90% labor, a fence about 50%, a kitchen remodel about 21%, according to cost guides that state a split. That's the job's labor share.
The state factor blends the two indexes by that share: labor share times the labor index, plus the rest of the job times the materials index. We multiply the national low, typical and high by this factor, and the breakdown splits the result into labor and materials by the same share.
A worked example: a fence in Texas
The fence calculator's default job: 150 linear ft of 6-ft wood privacy fence with one gate.
Nationally, materials come to $1,470 / $1,660 / $3,490 (low / typical / high), labor to the same $1,470 / $1,660 / $3,490, and the permit to $28 / $100 / $180. The total is $2,970–$7,160, with a typical price of $3,410.
A fence is about 50% labor, according to HomeAdvisor. For Texas:
- Labor index: 0.807. BLS May 2025 wages for the fence trades in Texas, compared with the US.
- Materials index: 0.9808. Texas goods prices in 2024 were 98.083 against a US average of 100.
- State factor: 0.5 × 0.807 + 0.5 × 0.9808 = 0.8939.
Apply 0.8939 and Texas comes out at $1,310 / $1,480 / $3,120 for materials and the same for labor. The permit stays at $28 / $100 / $180. The Texas total is $2,650–$6,420, typical $3,060.
What we don't adjust
Permits. Cities set permit fees, not local wages, so we show the national range labeled "varies by city."
Lines we have no data for. If no source prices something, such as a contingency allowance or old-gutter removal, the line is left out rather than guessed.
Limited data and smoothing
Some prices rest on one source, or the sources disagree widely. When a result uses one, a Limited data note next to it says which line is weak and why. We don't hide or narrow these numbers.
For HVAC and furnace replacement, the sources' prices don't always rise with home size. We smooth these tables so a bigger home is never priced below a smaller one, and the Limited data note stays.
From ZIP code to state
Your ZIP code only finds your state, and the lookup runs in your browser; nothing is sent to us. The table comes from GeoNames. US territories such as Puerto Rico aren't covered yet.
How often we update
The national prices on this site were collected in October 2026. Each calculator page shows its "Last updated" date. State wage and price data is refreshed once a year, after BLS and BEA publish new figures.
What an estimate can't do
This is a planning range, not a quote. No one has visited your house, and slope, access or old damage can push a real bid past either end. Use the estimate to set a budget and check quotes, then get written quotes from local contractors.