Which metros are most and least expensive to hire a contractor? (2026)

The Contractor Cost Index, metro by metro

Each metro's index is the geometric mean of its permit-derived median ÷ the national median, across every trade the metro and the nation both publish in the Real Cost Index. An index of 100 means the metro is priced like the national basket; higher is more expensive, lower is cheaper. The basket column is how many trades back the number — read the larger baskets as the more complete picture.

"See the data" links to the metro's most-sampled basket trade on the Real Cost Index, where the full median and interquartile range for that city are shown.

Inside the priciest and cheapest baskets

The same data, opened up. For the most and least expensive indexed metros, here is every trade in the basket with its metro median, the national median, and the ratio between them — the ratios whose geometric mean is the headline index.

How the index is built

For every metro, ProFix takes each trade where it has both a metro median and a national median, computes the ratio metro median ÷ national median, and takes the geometric mean of those ratios, then multiplies by 100. The geometric mean is the honest way to average ratios of wildly different dollar scale: a $7,500 plumbing permit and a $100,000 general-contractor permit each shift the basket by the same proportional amount, so no single big-ticket trade can dominate the headline.

Median + interquartile (P25–P75) declared construction value on real public building permits. Declared valuations are a self-reported public-record proxy for project cost and can run below the out-the-door price; medians and a 30-permit minimum keep each benchmark honest.

• This study reads only the live Real Cost Index via loadPermitCostIndex(). No index value or ranking is hand-entered — every figure is computed at render time.
• A metro is ranked only if it shares at least 3 trades with the national index. The basket size is shown for every metro because a 3-trade index is thinner evidence than a 15- or 20-trade one.
• The index is descriptive. A higher number reflects local labor and material costs, the mix and size of projects that get permitted, local permit-valuation conventions, and cost of living — not contractor markup. It is a budgeting signal, never proof of overcharging.
• Declared construction value is a self-reported public-record floor. It can run below the homeowner's out-the-door price when filings omit markup, bundled labor, financing, emergency premiums, or work handled outside the permit — and the floor can differ by metro, which is one reason to read the index as a comparison, not an invoice.
• Medians and interquartile ranges make each underlying benchmark resistant to fee-only placeholders, under-declared jobs, and unusually large remodels that would distort an average. Every benchmark clears the 30-permit minimum.
• Sources: austin-socrata, chicago-permits, dallas-building-permits, las-vegas-permits, burlington-permits, greensboro-permits, durham-permits, boise-permits, cary-permits, boulder-permits, hilton-head-permits, providence-permits, miami-permits, orlando-permits, san-diego-permits, gilbert-permits, louisville-permits, kansas-city-permits, utah-county-permits, milwaukee-permits, albuquerque-permits, lynchburg-permits, baltimore-permits, county-cuyahoga, county-hamilton, county-franklin, county-dekalb, county-boston, county-sacramento, county-nashville, county-new-orleans, county-minneapolis, county-allegheny, county-seattle, san-francisco-permits, san-antonio-permits, los-angeles-permits, detroit-permits, charlotte-permits, memphis-permits, san-jose-permits, portland-permits, fort-worth-permits, honolulu-permits, charleston-permits, mesa-permits, cape-coral-permits, montgomery-county-md-permits, buffalo-permits, wilmington-nc-permits, scottsdale-permits.

FAQ

Which metro is the most expensive to hire a contractor in 2026?

Among the 27 U.S. metros with enough overlapping data to compare, Boston, MA has the highest ProFix Contractor Cost Index at about 280.3 — meaning its median permit valuations across the 4 trades it shares with the national index sit, on a geometric average, about 280% of the national median. Orlando, FL is the lowest at about 70.2. This is descriptive of permit data, not a claim about why any metro is priced the way it is.

What is the Contractor Cost Index?

For each metro, ProFix takes every trade where it has both a metro median and a national median in the Real Cost Index, divides the metro median by the national median, and takes the geometric mean of those ratios, multiplied by 100. An index of 100 means the metro is priced like the national basket; 150 means roughly 50% above; 75 means roughly 25% below. We use the geometric mean so a high-dollar trade and a low-dollar trade move the basket by the same proportional amount.

Does a high index mean contractors there overcharge?

No. The index is a descriptive comparison of declared permit valuations, which reflect local labor and material costs, the mix and size of projects that get permitted, local code and permit-valuation conventions, and the cost of living — not contractor markup. A higher index is a budgeting signal, not evidence of overcharging.

How many trades back each metro's index?

It varies, and we show the count for every metro. A metro must share at least 3 trades with the national index to appear at all. Metros backed by more trades (some by 15–24) give a more complete picture than the minimum-3 metros, which is why we publish the basket size next to every index rather than hiding it.

Where does the data come from?

Real public building-permit records from 51 city and county sources. Each underlying benchmark publishes only after at least 30 usable permits back it, and we use medians and interquartile ranges so fee-only placeholders and mega-projects don't distort the figure. Declared construction value is a public-record floor and can run below the homeowner's out-the-door price.