Renovation Labor Cost Index by State
HomeAdvisor and Remodeling Magazine publish national averages. They don't tell you the same kitchen costs $42k in Mississippi and $73k in California, mostly because of trade labor. This page composites BLS OES hourly wages for the six core trades — plumber, electrician, HVAC, roofer, carpenter, painter — with NAHB labor-hour estimates and BEA-RPP-adjusted materials. The output is the budget you need to actually finish the project.
Most expensive kitchen remodelAlabama$NaN total · $22/hr avg trade rate
Cheapest kitchen remodelWyoming$NaN total · $25/hr avg trade rate
U.S. baseline200hr × $30/hr+$28k materials = $34k national kitchen baseline
States ranked by mid-range kitchen remodel cost
Total cost = (labor hours × state avg hourly rate for 6 trades) + materials adjusted by BEA Regional Price Parity. Labor share dominates the variance — materials are mostly nationally priced.
| # | State | Avg Trade $/hr | RPP | Kitchen | Bath | Roof | HVAC | Whole-House Paint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 2 | Alaska | $34 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 3 | Arizona | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 4 | Arkansas | $21 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 5 | California | $31 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 6 | Colorado | $27 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 7 | Connecticut | $29 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 8 | Delaware | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 9 | Florida | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 10 | Georgia | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 11 | Hawaii | $35 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 12 | Idaho | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 13 | Illinois | $32 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 14 | Indiana | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 15 | Iowa | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 16 | Kansas | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 17 | Kentucky | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 18 | Louisiana | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 19 | Maine | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 20 | Maryland | $27 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $33 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 22 | Michigan | $26 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 23 | Minnesota | $29 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 24 | Mississippi | $20 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 25 | Missouri | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 26 | Montana | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 27 | Nebraska | $24 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 28 | Nevada | $27 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 29 | New Hampshire | $26 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 30 | New Jersey | $31 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 31 | New Mexico | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 32 | New York | $33 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 33 | North Carolina | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 34 | North Dakota | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 35 | Ohio | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 37 | Oregon | $29 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $27 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $28 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 40 | South Carolina | $22 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 41 | South Dakota | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 42 | Tennessee | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 43 | Texas | $23 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 44 | Utah | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 45 | Vermont | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 46 | Virginia | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 47 | Washington | $32 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 48 | West Virginia | $21 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $27 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
| 50 | Wyoming | $25 | [object Object] | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN | $NaN |
Method
- Hourly rate = BLS OES median hourly wage for plumber, electrician, HVAC tech, roofer, carpenter, painter, averaged. State-grain.
- Labor hours per project = NAHB / Remodeling Magazine "Cost vs. Value 2024" labor allowances (kitchen 200hr, bath 80hr, roof 60hr, HVAC 25hr, whole-house repaint 120hr).
- Materials = national midpoint × BEA Regional Price Parity. Materials are mostly priced nationally, but freight-out, sales tax, and local lumber yard pricing add ±15% on top of RPP.
- Excludes permits + GC overhead. Add 15-25% on top for general contractor margin and 1-3% for permit fees in most jurisdictions.
- Mid-range scope, not high-end. Kitchen = stock cabinets, mid-tier appliances, laminate counters. High-end (custom cabinets, quartz, panel-ready appliances) runs 1.8-2.5x these numbers.
Sources: BLS OES, Remodeling Magazine Cost vs Value 2024, NAHB, BEA Regional Price Parities.