Data / Labor costs by state
Home Project Labor Costs by State
The people who fix and remodel homes earn very different pay depending on where they work. Across 12 trades, from roofers and plumbers to HVAC technicians, median hourly pay runs 40% above the national median in Hawaii and 20% below it in Arkansas. But cheaper labor does not make projects easier to afford.
Key findings
- Highest trade wages: Hawaii (140), Alaska (133), Illinois (131), Massachusetts (131), Washington (128). Lowest: Arkansas (80), Mississippi (81), Alabama (82), South Carolina (85), North Carolina (86). U.S. median = 100.
- A roof costs the most months of income in West Virginia: a typical roof replacement equals 2.9 months of the state's median household income, against 2.2 months nationally and 1.8 in Utah.
- Cheap labor, heavy burden: Mississippi and Arkansas have the lowest trade wages in the country, yet a new roof takes more months of income there (2.8 and 2.6) than in all but a handful of states.
- Metros: of the 20 major metros we checked, trade wages are highest in Chicago (39% above the U.S. median) and lowest in Tampa (14% below).
- Most uneven trade: glaziers earn 2.7 times as much in the highest-paying state as in the lowest. Painters vary the least (1.7 times).
Trade labor index by state
- Alabama: 82
- Alaska: 133
- Arizona: 95
- Arkansas: 80
- California: 118
- Colorado: 102
- Connecticut: 116
- Delaware: 103
- District of Columbia: 123
- Florida: 88
- Georgia: 86
- Hawaii: 140
- Idaho: 93
- Illinois: 131
- Indiana: 104
- Iowa: 100
- Kansas: 95
- Kentucky: 92
- Louisiana: 90
- Maine: 103
- Maryland: 102
- Massachusetts: 131
- Michigan: 104
- Minnesota: 123
- Mississippi: 81
- Missouri: 103
- Montana: 107
- Nebraska: 95
- Nevada: 100
- New Hampshire: 103
- New Jersey: 123
- New Mexico: 88
- New York: 116
- North Carolina: 86
- North Dakota: 103
- Ohio: 103
- Oklahoma: 86
- Oregon: 116
- Pennsylvania: 107
- Rhode Island: 106
- South Carolina: 85
- South Dakota: 89
- Tennessee: 89
- Texas: 87
- Utah: 95
- Vermont: 103
- Virginia: 92
- Washington: 128
- West Virginia: 92
- Wisconsin: 112
- Wyoming: 96
- 10% or more below the U.S. median
- 3% to 10% below
- Within 3% of the U.S. median
- 3% to 15% above
- 15% or more above
Index: each state's median hourly wage divided by the U.S. median, times 100, averaged across 12 trades. 100 = U.S. median.
Median hourly wages by state
Six of the 12 trades. All 12, with 25th and 75th percentiles, are in the CSV download.
| State | Index | Roofers | Plumbers | HVAC techs | Electricians | Carpenters | Painters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 82 | $21.96 | $28.21 | $23.26 | $26.78 | $23.18 | $21.12 |
| Alaska | 133 | $32.09 | $45.15 | $37.23 | $43.00 | $35.51 | $29.32 |
| Arizona | 95 | $22.76 | $29.84 | $28.56 | $29.36 | $28.17 | $23.20 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $22.82 | $23.39 | $23.13 | $23.59 | $22.96 | $19.28 |
| California | 118 | $30.58 | $35.01 | $34.88 | $36.62 | $36.50 | $28.38 |
| Colorado | 102 | $24.88 | $30.40 | $31.35 | $29.92 | $30.21 | $25.47 |
| Connecticut | 116 | $29.84 | $37.16 | $36.83 | $37.28 | $30.80 | $28.12 |
| Delaware | 103 | $28.58 | $31.11 | $29.96 | $30.63 | $28.46 | $28.14 |
| District of Columbia | 123 | $29.69 | $48.57 | $40.57 | $37.97 | $29.67 | $28.61 |
| Florida | 88 | $22.88 | $25.44 | $27.24 | $27.52 | $23.98 | $22.85 |
| Georgia | 86 | $22.57 | $27.50 | $27.11 | $28.04 | $23.72 | $23.24 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $28.64 | $37.53 | $31.47 | $46.38 | $41.00 | $32.80 |
| Idaho | 93 | $27.78 | $25.18 | $27.04 | $30.29 | $25.00 | $21.58 |
| Illinois | 131 | $37.45 | $48.05 | $37.21 | $47.87 | $37.98 | $29.45 |
| Indiana | 104 | $27.88 | $36.69 | $29.05 | $32.93 | $30.23 | $24.16 |
| Iowa | 100 | $23.39 | $30.72 | $29.17 | $29.26 | $27.75 | $23.90 |
| Kansas | 95 | $22.69 | $31.36 | $29.07 | $31.66 | $27.39 | $21.88 |
| Kentucky | 92 | $22.57 | $30.84 | $28.18 | $28.71 | $25.33 | $23.13 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $23.44 | $30.62 | $28.20 | $29.59 | $24.00 | $22.31 |
| Maine | 103 | $24.10 | $30.77 | $30.37 | $36.24 | $29.88 | $28.50 |
| Maryland | 102 | $28.89 | $31.44 | $33.67 | $35.33 | $30.27 | $23.62 |
| Massachusetts | 131 | $34.98 | $45.14 | $37.16 | $38.18 | $36.16 | $27.65 |
| Michigan | 104 | $28.62 | $38.56 | $29.26 | $36.67 | $29.66 | $24.35 |
| Minnesota | 123 | $35.81 | $45.39 | $36.71 | $37.58 | $31.22 | $27.54 |
| Mississippi | 81 | $21.61 | $26.67 | $23.41 | $29.26 | $23.39 | $21.54 |
| Missouri | 103 | $23.35 | $32.11 | $28.82 | $31.45 | $29.25 | $27.65 |
| Montana | 107 | $28.38 | $38.44 | $29.26 | $36.90 | $28.28 | $28.03 |
| Nebraska | 95 | $22.34 | $29.31 | $28.77 | $29.24 | $24.19 | $22.73 |
| Nevada | 100 | $24.56 | $29.62 | $29.09 | $35.37 | $29.99 | $27.11 |
| New Hampshire | 103 | $28.76 | $32.12 | $35.51 | $30.21 | $29.42 | $23.88 |
| New Jersey | 123 | $36.83 | $37.61 | $35.79 | $37.14 | $30.77 | $28.49 |
| New Mexico | 88 | $21.78 | $29.54 | $24.17 | $28.07 | $28.71 | $22.23 |
| New York | 116 | $31.74 | $37.26 | $35.78 | $37.86 | $34.77 | $28.64 |
| North Carolina | 86 | $23.56 | $27.44 | $27.53 | $27.31 | $23.61 | $21.21 |
| North Dakota | 103 | $28.72 | $30.56 | $35.81 | $31.59 | $27.83 | $26.38 |
| Ohio | 103 | $23.74 | $30.45 | $30.06 | $31.11 | $29.24 | $23.77 |
| Oklahoma | 86 | $21.00 | $27.87 | $27.67 | $29.33 | $22.55 | $21.59 |
| Oregon | 116 | $28.35 | $46.66 | $30.26 | $48.71 | $30.23 | $23.51 |
| Pennsylvania | 107 | $26.79 | $32.73 | $30.00 | $32.50 | $28.54 | $25.06 |
| Rhode Island | 106 | $29.63 | $36.77 | $32.39 | $35.62 | $29.25 | $20.00 |
| South Carolina | 85 | $22.00 | $25.93 | $27.22 | $28.24 | $24.36 | $19.64 |
| South Dakota | 89 | $22.94 | $24.82 | $29.51 | $29.51 | $23.14 | $23.15 |
| Tennessee | 89 | $21.97 | $28.17 | $26.68 | $29.37 | $24.44 | $20.78 |
| Texas | 87 | $22.13 | $28.77 | $27.77 | $28.16 | $23.51 | $21.86 |
| Utah | 95 | $23.40 | $29.76 | $28.24 | $29.81 | $25.17 | $22.14 |
| Vermont | 103 | $28.39 | $29.89 | $29.88 | $30.49 | $30.00 | $25.54 |
| Virginia | 92 | $23.28 | $29.07 | $28.72 | $30.24 | $26.77 | $22.82 |
| Washington | 128 | $29.16 | $38.96 | $36.38 | $45.78 | $35.67 | $28.68 |
| West Virginia | 92 | $24.60 | $27.39 | $23.49 | $31.16 | $23.42 | $21.26 |
| Wisconsin | 112 | $28.54 | $39.04 | $29.67 | $36.80 | $29.65 | $24.08 |
| Wyoming | 96 | $21.95 | $30.01 | $26.30 | $36.59 | $27.33 | $22.70 |
| United States | 100 | $26.65 | $30.67 | $29.33 | $30.38 | $29.12 | $23.75 |
How many months of income a new roof costs
Typical price to replace an architectural shingle roof on a 2,000 sq ft one-story home, from our roof replacement model, divided by the state's median household income for one month.
| State | Months of income | Typical roof | Median household income | Labor index rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | 2.86 | $14,500 | $60,798 | 38 |
| Mississippi | 2.75 | $13,560 | $59,127 | 50 |
| Louisiana | 2.69 | $13,660 | $60,986 | 39 |
| Kentucky | 2.63 | $14,130 | $64,526 | 37 |
| Arkansas | 2.59 | $13,400 | $62,106 | 51 |
| Michigan | 2.54 | $15,300 | $72,389 | 17 |
| Alabama | 2.50 | $13,880 | $66,659 | 49 |
| Illinois | 2.50 | $17,350 | $83,211 | 3 |
| Indiana | 2.50 | $14,980 | $71,959 | 18 |
| New Mexico | 2.47 | $13,970 | $67,816 | 42 |
| Oklahoma | 2.45 | $13,480 | $66,148 | 45 |
| Missouri | 2.38 | $14,170 | $71,589 | 23 |
| New York | 2.38 | $17,030 | $85,820 | 11 |
| Ohio | 2.37 | $14,250 | $72,212 | 22 |
| Montana | 2.35 | $14,780 | $75,340 | 14 |
| Maine | 2.32 | $14,810 | $76,442 | 19 |
| Pennsylvania | 2.32 | $15,010 | $77,545 | 15 |
| North Carolina | 2.31 | $14,250 | $73,958 | 47 |
| South Carolina | 2.30 | $13,880 | $72,350 | 48 |
| Minnesota | 2.29 | $16,590 | $87,117 | 6 |
| Wisconsin | 2.28 | $14,710 | $77,488 | 13 |
| Tennessee | 2.26 | $13,550 | $71,997 | 41 |
| Wyoming | 2.25 | $14,150 | $75,532 | 30 |
| Oregon | 2.24 | $15,910 | $85,220 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | 2.24 | $15,600 | $83,504 | 16 |
| Florida | 2.23 | $14,450 | $77,735 | 43 |
| North Dakota | 2.22 | $14,420 | $77,871 | 20 |
| Iowa | 2.19 | $13,770 | $75,501 | 29 |
| Kansas | 2.19 | $13,770 | $75,514 | 31 |
| Vermont | 2.18 | $15,050 | $82,730 | 25 |
| Idaho | 2.16 | $14,610 | $81,166 | 35 |
| Nevada | 2.16 | $14,620 | $81,134 | 28 |
| Alaska | 2.12 | $16,870 | $95,665 | 2 |
| Arizona | 2.12 | $14,380 | $81,486 | 32 |
| Georgia | 2.12 | $14,160 | $79,991 | 46 |
| Nebraska | 2.11 | $13,440 | $76,376 | 33 |
| South Dakota | 2.11 | $13,530 | $76,881 | 40 |
| Texas | 2.10 | $13,970 | $79,721 | 44 |
| Delaware | 2.03 | $14,840 | $87,534 | 21 |
| New Jersey | 2.03 | $17,630 | $104,294 | 7 |
| Connecticut | 2.02 | $16,140 | $96,049 | 10 |
| California | 2.00 | $16,720 | $100,149 | 9 |
| Hawaii | 2.00 | $16,820 | $100,745 | 1 |
| Washington | 1.99 | $16,490 | $99,389 | 5 |
| Virginia | 1.92 | $14,770 | $92,090 | 36 |
| Massachusetts | 1.89 | $16,520 | $104,828 | 4 |
| District of Columbia | 1.88 | $17,160 | $109,707 | 8 |
| New Hampshire | 1.88 | $15,650 | $99,782 | 24 |
| Maryland | 1.86 | $15,910 | $102,905 | 26 |
| Colorado | 1.83 | $14,810 | $97,113 | 27 |
| Utah | 1.79 | $14,430 | $96,658 | 34 |
| United States | 2.22 | $15,110 | $81,604 | - |
Trade wages in 20 major metros
| Metro | Index | Roofers | Plumbers | HVAC techs | Electricians |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 139 | $39.47 | $49.70 | $37.48 | $49.21 |
| Seattle | 137 | $30.81 | $45.78 | $38.51 | $48.93 |
| San Francisco | 136 | $35.74 | $37.44 | $37.73 | $44.63 |
| Boston | 132 | $31.90 | $46.52 | $37.75 | $38.42 |
| Minneapolis | 129 | $36.25 | $48.86 | $37.25 | $39.37 |
| New York | 123 | $36.73 | $37.79 | $37.50 | $37.99 |
| Los Angeles | 116 | $30.56 | $34.19 | $35.49 | $35.49 |
| Philadelphia | 115 | $28.72 | $35.99 | $31.05 | $35.86 |
| St. Louis | 113 | $28.25 | $37.02 | $30.29 | $37.10 |
| Detroit | 112 | $30.48 | $41.53 | $30.37 | $39.42 |
| Riverside | 109 | $29.83 | $30.73 | $30.92 | $35.00 |
| Denver | 107 | $26.84 | $30.72 | $34.41 | $30.36 |
| Washington | 106 | $28.05 | $34.55 | $34.58 | $36.50 |
| Baltimore | 100 | $27.11 | $30.38 | $30.38 | $31.54 |
| Phoenix | 97 | $22.96 | $30.65 | $29.41 | $29.43 |
| Atlanta | 91 | $23.61 | $28.07 | $28.35 | $28.20 |
| Miami | 91 | $23.09 | $27.77 | $27.90 | $28.19 |
| Dallas | 90 | $22.59 | $29.45 | $28.63 | $28.37 |
| Houston | 88 | $21.87 | $29.47 | $28.34 | $28.45 |
| Tampa | 86 | $22.68 | $25.00 | $24.30 | $27.62 |
Metro areas as defined by the Office of Management and Budget; for example, Dallas covers Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington. A dash means BLS did not publish that trade for the area.
What this means for your project
Wages are only part of a contractor's price. Contractors also pay payroll taxes and insurance, run trucks and offices, and need a profit, so what you pay per hour of work is well above these wages. Our cost guides build all of that in, and they use these same wage data for every state: see the guides for roof replacement, HVAC replacement, water heater replacement and more projects.
Methodology
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, as published through O*NET OnLine. Median, 25th and 75th percentile hourly wages for each trade, all industries.
- Trades: carpenters, tile and stone setters, concrete finishers, construction laborers, electricians, glaziers, painters, plumbers, roofers, sheet metal workers, fence erectors, hvac technicians.
- Index: for each trade, the state median divided by the U.S. median; the index is the average of those ratios, times 100. BLS does not publish every trade in every state; 9 states have 9 to 11 trades, and their index averages the trades available.
- Roof price: the typical (median) price from our roof replacement model for a 2,000 sq ft one-story home with architectural shingles, tear-off of one layer, including permit and contractor overhead and profit.
- Income: median household income, Census American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates.
Download the data
Wages by state and metro (CSV) · State summary: index, roof price, income (CSV). Free to use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license: please credit "MeasuredCost analysis of BLS and Census data" and link to this page.
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For journalists
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Common questions
Why are trade wages so different between states?
Wages follow the local cost of living, union membership, demand for construction and how many workers are available. States with high living costs, such as Hawaii, pay the most.
Do higher wages mean a project costs more?
Yes, but not in proportion. Labor is one part of a project's price, next to materials, overhead, profit and permits. Across the states in our models, each 10% difference in trade wages moves a typical roof replacement price by about 5% and an HVAC replacement by about 3%.
How often will this study be updated?
Each spring, after BLS releases the next year's wage data.
Changelog
- : Published.
- : Study compiled from BLS OEWS May 2025 wages for 12 trades in 50 states, the District of Columbia and 20 metros, and Census ACS 2024 household income.