What home projects cost, state by state
Labour is the part of a job that moves with geography. Materials cost much the same everywhere; a crew does not. These pages take the national estimate and scale its labour portion by what construction actually pays in each state.
Alaska pays the most at $1,957 a week (+25.5% against the national $1,559); Idaho the least at $1,250 (-19.8%). Wages from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages, NAICS 23 (Construction), private ownership.
| State | Weekly construction wage | vs national | Effect on a project |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $1,957 | +25.5% | +11.5% |
| Massachusetts | $1,922 | +23.3% | +10.5% |
| District of Columbia | $1,804 | +15.7% | +7.1% |
| Hawaii | $1,782 | +14.3% | +6.4% |
| Illinois | $1,748 | +12.1% | +5.4% |
| New Jersey | $1,724 | +10.6% | +4.8% |
| California | $1,720 | +10.3% | +4.6% |
| New York | $1,712 | +9.8% | +4.4% |
| Minnesota | $1,704 | +9.3% | +4.2% |
| Connecticut | $1,684 | +8.0% | +3.6% |
| Washington | $1,646 | +5.6% | +2.5% |
| New Hampshire | $1,631 | +4.6% | +2.1% |
| Texas | $1,604 | +2.9% | +1.3% |
| Oregon | $1,584 | +1.6% | +0.7% |
| Maryland | $1,581 | +1.4% | +0.6% |
| Pennsylvania | $1,579 | +1.3% | +0.6% |
| Michigan | $1,571 | +0.8% | +0.4% |
| Rhode Island | $1,568 | +0.6% | +0.3% |
| Colorado | $1,565 | +0.4% | +0.2% |
| Louisiana | $1,556 | -0.2% | -0.1% |
| Georgia | $1,545 | -0.9% | -0.4% |
| North Dakota | $1,540 | -1.2% | -0.5% |
| Ohio | $1,532 | -1.7% | -0.8% |
| Wisconsin | $1,532 | -1.7% | -0.8% |
| Tennessee | $1,529 | -1.9% | -0.9% |
| Arizona | $1,526 | -2.1% | -0.9% |
| Nevada | $1,525 | -2.2% | -1.0% |
| Virginia | $1,514 | -2.9% | -1.3% |
| Missouri | $1,512 | -3.0% | -1.3% |
| Indiana | $1,497 | -4.0% | -1.8% |
| Delaware | $1,492 | -4.3% | -1.9% |
| South Carolina | $1,434 | -8.0% | -3.6% |
| North Carolina | $1,430 | -8.3% | -3.7% |
| Iowa | $1,414 | -9.3% | -4.2% |
| Kentucky | $1,411 | -9.5% | -4.3% |
| Alabama | $1,408 | -9.7% | -4.4% |
| Kansas | $1,408 | -9.7% | -4.4% |
| Maine | $1,381 | -11.4% | -5.1% |
| Montana | $1,372 | -12.0% | -5.4% |
| Wyoming | $1,366 | -12.4% | -5.6% |
| Vermont | $1,353 | -13.2% | -5.9% |
| Florida | $1,352 | -13.3% | -6.0% |
| Nebraska | $1,352 | -13.3% | -6.0% |
| Utah | $1,350 | -13.4% | -6.0% |
| West Virginia | $1,349 | -13.5% | -6.1% |
| New Mexico | $1,314 | -15.7% | -7.1% |
| South Dakota | $1,306 | -16.2% | -7.3% |
| Mississippi | $1,294 | -17.0% | -7.7% |
| Oklahoma | $1,277 | -18.1% | -8.2% |
| Arkansas | $1,267 | -18.7% | -8.4% |
| Idaho | $1,250 | -19.8% | -8.9% |
The last column is smaller than the one before it on purpose. A state paying 25% above the national wage does not make a project 25% dearer, because roughly 55% of what you pay is materials priced nationally. Full methodology.