Name: Estimara Rehab Labor Cost Index
Creator: Estimara
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Read this first

What the number means, and what it doesn't

Every value is a labor-cost deviation: how far the local wage level for residential trades sits from the national level, scaled to labor's share of a rehab budget. A market at −10% does not mean a $40,000 rehab costs $36,000 there. It means the labor portion of that budget prices about 10% under what the same scope of labor costs nationally.

What it measures

Median wages for seven residential trades, against the national median for each
The non-union residential labor market that investor rehabs actually hire from
Scaled by labor share, because materials price close to nationally flat
Relative geography — how markets compare to one another

What it does not measure

The cost of any specific rehab — this is one input, not a budget
Demand-premium pricing, where contractors charge what a hot market bears
Permit, inspection and regulatory differences between jurisdictions
Material and fixture prices, treated here as nationally flat

Method

How each figure is calculated

The source is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, a public federal dataset. For each metro and nonmetro area we take the median wage for seven trades and express it as a ratio to the national median for that same trade.

Electricians47-2111

Plumbers & pipefitters47-2152

Carpenters47-2031

HVAC installers49-9021

Roofers47-2181

Painters47-2141

Construction laborers47-2061

deviation = 0.5 × ( mean of the seven wage ratios − 1 ) × 100

The seven ratios carry equal weight, and an area must report at least three of them to qualify — thinly-reported areas are dropped rather than estimated. The 0.5 is labor's approximate share of a residential rehab budget: materials price close to the same everywhere, so only the labor portion of the total moves with local wages. It is the same constant Estimara's own estimates run on, not a figure chosen for this page.

State figures come from each state's nonmetro areas rather than a statewide blend. That figure is only ever used as a fallback for places too small to match a metro, so the rural wage level is the right proxy — a small-town rehab should not inherit the average of its state's big cities. Washington DC, New Jersey and Rhode Island have no nonmetro areas in the survey and keep their statewide value.

Distribution

The spread is narrower than most investors assume

Most markets sit close to the national line. It is the tails that carry the money: a small group of high-wage metros, and a cluster of low-wage southern and territorial markets.

−25%national average+21%

The data

Every market in the index

Ranked from cheapest labor to dearest. All 643 metros and 54 states and territories are listed below.

Metro areas, ranked cheapest labor first
#	Market	State	Labor vs national
1	Bayamon	PR	−25%
2	Caguas	PR	−25%
3	Ponce	PR	−25%
4	San Juan	PR	−25%
5	Aguadilla	PR	−24%
6	Mayaguez	PR	−24%
7	Arecibo	PR	−23%
8	Gadsden	AL	−14%
9	Valdosta	GA	−14%
10	Hot Springs	AR	−13%
11	Brownsville	TX	−13%
12	Edinburg	TX	−13%
13	El Paso	TX	−13%
14	Harlingen	TX	−13%
15	Laredo	TX	−13%
16	Mcallen	TX	−13%
17	Mission	TX	−13%
18	Wichita Falls	TX	−13%
19	Dothan	AL	−12%
20	Jonesboro	AR	−12%
21	Lubbock	TX	−12%
22	Fort Smith	AR	−11%
23	Columbus	GA	−11%
24	Rome	GA	−11%
25	Hattiesburg	MS	−11%
26	San Angelo	TX	−11%
27	Auburn	AL	−10%
28	Opelika	AL	−10%
29	Conway	AR	−10%
30	Little Rock	AR	−10%
31	North Little Rock	AR	−10%
32	Ocala	FL	−10%
33	Athens	GA	−10%
34	Conway	SC	−10%
35	Myrtle Beach	SC	−10%
36	North Myrtle Beach	SC	−10%
37	Sumter	SC	−10%
38	Johnson City	TN	−10%
39	Abilene	TX	−10%
40	Bryan	TX	−10%
41	College Station	TX	−10%
42	Tyler	TX	−10%
43	Daphne	AL	−9%
44	Fairhope	AL	−9%
45	Foley	AL	−9%
46	Montgomery	AL	−9%
47	Fayetteville	AR	−9%
48	Rogers	AR	−9%
49	Springdale	AR	−9%
50	Texarkana	AR	−9%
51	Homosassa Springs	FL	−9%
52	Sebring	FL	−9%
53	Macon	GA	−9%
54	Alexandria	LA	−9%
55	Goldsboro	NC	−9%
56	Jacksonville	NC	−9%
57	Killeen	TX	−9%
58	Longview	TX	−9%
59	Temple	TX	−9%
60	Texarkana	TX	−9%
61	Victoria	TX	−9%
62	Beckley	WV	−9%
63	Parkersburg	WV	−9%
64	Vienna	WV	−9%
65	Douglas	AZ	−8%
66	Sierra Vista	AZ	−8%
67	Daytona Beach	FL	−8%
68	Deltona	FL	−8%
69	Ormond Beach	FL	−8%
70	Panama City Beach	FL	−8%
71	Panama City	FL	−8%
72	Tallahassee	FL	−8%
73	The Villages	FL	−8%
74	Wildwood	FL	−8%
75	Albany	GA	−8%
76	Dalton	GA	−8%
77	Twin Falls	ID	−8%
78	Hammond	LA	−8%
79	Jackson	MS	−8%
80	Burlington	NC	−8%
81	Greenville	NC	−8%
82	Hickory	NC	−8%
83	Lenoir	NC	−8%
84	Morganton	NC	−8%
85	Pinehurst	NC	−8%
86	Rocky Mount	NC	−8%
87	Southern Pines	NC	−8%
88	Winston-salem	NC	−8%
89	Farmington	NM	−8%
90	Las Cruces	NM	−8%
91	Morristown	TN	−8%
92	Amarillo	TX	−8%
93	Roanoke	VA	−8%
94	Morgantown	WV	−8%
95	Birmingham	AL	−7%
96	Huntsville	AL	−7%
97	Mobile	AL	−7%
98	Tuscaloosa	AL	−7%
99	Brent	FL	−7%
100	Ferry Pass	FL	−7%
101	Gainesville	FL	−7%
102	Kissimmee	FL	−7%
103	Lakeland	FL	−7%
104	Orlando	FL	−7%
105	Pensacola	FL	−7%
106	Sanford	FL	−7%
107	Winter Haven	FL	−7%
108	Augusta	GA	−7%
109	Brunswick	GA	−7%
110	Gainesville	GA	−7%
111	Savannah	GA	−7%
112	St. Simons	GA	−7%
113	Warner Robins	GA	−7%
114	Elizabethtown	KY	−7%
115	Lafayette	LA	−7%
116	Monroe	LA	−7%
117	Fayetteville	NC	−7%
118	Grand Island	NE	−7%
119	Bristol	TN	−7%
120	Cleveland	TN	−7%
121	Kingsport	TN	−7%
122	Corpus Christi	TX	−7%
123	New Braunfels	TX	−7%
124	San Antonio	TX	−7%
125	Waco	TX	−7%
126	St. George	UT	−7%
127	Blacksburg	VA	−7%
128	Bristol	VA	−7%
129	Christiansburg	VA	−7%
130	Lynchburg	VA	−7%
131	Radford	VA	−7%
132	Anniston	AL	−6%
133	Decatur	AL	−6%
134	Florence	AL	−6%
135	Muscle Shoals	AL	−6%
136	Oxford	AL	−6%
137	Kingman	AZ	−6%
138	Lake Havasu City	AZ	−6%
139	Yuma	AZ	−6%
140	Cape Coral	FL	−6%
141	Clearwater	FL	−6%
142	Crestview	FL	−6%
143	Destin	FL	−6%
144	Fort Myers	FL	−6%
145	Fort Walton Beach	FL	−6%
146	Port St. Lucie	FL	−6%
147	Sebastian	FL	−6%
148	St. Petersburg	FL	−6%
149	Tampa	FL	−6%
150	Vero Beach	FL	−6%
151	West Vero Corridor	FL	−6%
152	Hinesville	GA	−6%
153	Bayou Cane	LA	−6%
154	Bossier City	LA	−6%
155	Covington	LA	−6%
156	Houma	LA	−6%
157	Mandeville	LA	−6%
158	Shreveport	LA	−6%
159	Slidell	LA	−6%
160	Thibodaux	LA	−6%
161	Greensboro	NC	−6%
162	High Point	NC	−6%
163	Wilmington	NC	−6%
164	Santa Fe	NM	−6%
165	Lawton	OK	−6%
166	Anderson	SC	−6%
167	Bluffton	SC	−6%
168	Columbia	SC	−6%
169	Florence	SC	−6%
170	Greenville	SC	−6%
171	Greer	SC	−6%
172	Hilton Head Island	SC	−6%
173	Port Royal	SC	−6%
174	Spartanburg	SC	−6%
175	Clarksville	TN	−6%
176	Jackson	TN	−6%
177	Denison	TX	−6%
178	Sherman	TX	−6%
179	Lehi	UT	−6%
180	Orem	UT	−6%
181	Provo	UT	−6%
182	Harrisonburg	VA	−6%
183	Staunton	VA	−6%
184	Stuarts Draft	VA	−6%
185	Winchester	VA	−6%
186	Tucson	AZ	−5%
187	Punta Gorda	FL	−5%
188	Pocatello	ID	−5%
189	Bowling Green	KY	−5%
190	Salisbury	MD	−5%
191	Biloxi	MS	−5%
192	Gulfport	MS	−5%
193	Asheville	NC	−5%
194	Enid	OK	−5%
195	Oklahoma City	OK	−5%
196	Tulsa	OK	−5%
197	Knoxville	TN	−5%
198	Memphis	TN	−5%
199	Houston	TX	−5%
200	Pasadena	TX	−5%
201	Sugar Land	TX	−5%
202	The Woodlands	TX	−5%
203	Logan	UT	−5%
204	Prescott Valley	AZ	−4%
205	Prescott	AZ	−4%
206	Boca Raton	FL	−4%
207	Bradenton	FL	−4%
208	Coral Springs	FL	−4%
209	Fort Lauderdale	FL	−4%
210	Hialeah	FL	−4%
211	Jacksonville	FL	−4%
212	Marco Island	FL	−4%
213	Melbourne	FL	−4%
214	Miami	FL	−4%
215	Naples	FL	−4%
216	North Port	FL	−4%
217	Palm Bay	FL	−4%
218	Pompano Beach	FL	−4%
219	Sarasota	FL	−4%
220	Titusville	FL	−4%
221	West Palm Beach	FL	−4%
222	Atlanta	GA	−4%
223	Roswell	GA	−4%
224	Sandy Springs	GA	−4%
225	Idaho Falls	ID	−4%
226	Wichita	KS	−4%
227	Ashland	KY	−4%
228	Owensboro	KY	−4%
229	Lake Charles	LA	−4%
230	Hagerstown	MD	−4%
231	Joplin	MO	−4%
232	Springfield	MO	−4%
233	Cary	NC	−4%
234	Charlotte	NC	−4%
235	Concord	NC	−4%
236	Gastonia	NC	−4%
237	Raleigh	NC	−4%
238	Lincoln	NE	−4%
239	Albuquerque	NM	−4%
240	Altoona	PA	−4%
241	Charleston	SC	−4%
242	North Charleston	SC	−4%
243	Rapid City	SD	−4%
244	Chattanooga	TN	−4%
245	Arlington	TX	−4%
246	Austin	TX	−4%
247	Dallas	TX	−4%
248	Fort Worth	TX	−4%
249	Frisco	TX	−4%
250	Garland	TX	−4%
251	Irving	TX	−4%
252	Mckinney	TX	−4%
253	Odessa	TX	−4%
254	Plano	TX	−4%
255	Round Rock	TX	−4%
256	San Marcos	TX	−4%
257	Chesapeake	VA	−4%
258	Hampton	VA	−4%
259	Newport News	VA	−4%
260	Norfolk	VA	−4%
261	Richmond	VA	−4%
262	Virginia Beach	VA	−4%
263	Huntington	WV	−4%
264	Martinsburg	WV	−4%
265	Pueblo	CO	−3%
266	Lawrence	KS	−3%
267	Manhattan	KS	−3%
268	Fayette	KY	−3%
269	Lexington	KY	−3%
270	Metairie	LA	−3%
271	New Orleans	LA	−3%
272	Chapel Hill	NC	−3%
273	Durham	NC	−3%
274	Mansfield	OH	−3%
275	Gettysburg	PA	−3%
276	Johnstown	PA	−3%
277	Williamsport	PA	−3%
278	Sioux Falls	SD	−3%
279	Franklin	TN	−3%
280	Murfreesboro	TN	−3%
281	Nashville	TN	−3%
282	Midland	TX	−3%
283	Ogden	UT	−3%
284	Charlottesville	VA	−3%
285	Charleston	WV	−3%
286	Flagstaff	AZ	−2%
287	Colorado Springs	CO	−2%
288	Grand Junction	CO	−2%
289	Greeley	CO	−2%
290	Dover	DE	−2%
291	Iowa City	IA	−2%
292	Sioux City	IA	−2%
293	Boise	ID	−2%
294	Coeur D'alene	ID	−2%
295	Lewiston	ID	−2%
296	Bangor	ME	−2%
297	Midland	MI	−2%
298	Niles	MI	−2%
299	Columbia	MO	−2%
300	Omaha	NE	−2%
301	Warren	OH	−2%
302	Youngstown	OH	−2%
303	State College	PA	−2%
304	Beaumont	TX	−2%
305	Port Arthur	TX	−2%
306	Cheyenne	WY	−2%
307	Chandler	AZ	−1%
308	Gilbert	AZ	−1%
309	Glendale	AZ	−1%
310	Mesa	AZ	−1%
311	Peoria	AZ	−1%
312	Phoenix	AZ	−1%
313	Scottsdale	AZ	−1%
314	Tempe	AZ	−1%
315	Fort Collins	CO	−1%
316	Loveland	CO	−1%
317	Ames	IA	−1%
318	Cedar Rapids	IA	−1%
319	Dubuque	IA	−1%
320	Topeka	KS	−1%
321	Baton Rouge	LA	−1%
322	Lexington Park	MD	−1%
323	Minot	ND	−1%
324	Lima	OH	−1%
325	Springfield	OH	−1%
326	Steubenville	OH	−1%
327	Erie	PA	−1%
328	Lancaster	PA	−1%
329	Lebanon	PA	−1%
330	Murray	UT	−1%
331	Salt Lake City	UT	−1%
332	Weirton	WV	−1%
333	Wheeling	WV	−1%
334	Casper	WY	−1%
335	Visalia	CA	0%
336	Elkhart	IN	0%
337	Goshen	IN	0%
338	Lafayette	IN	0%
339	Muncie	IN	0%
340	West Lafayette	IN	0%
341	Louisville	KY	0%
342	Traverse City	MI	0%
343	Beavercreek	OH	0%
344	Canton	OH	0%
345	Dayton	OH	0%
346	Kettering	OH	0%
347	Massillon	OH	0%
348	Chambersburg	PA	0%
349	Reading	PA	0%
350	Scranton	PA	0%
351	Wilkes	PA	0%
352	Cedar Falls	IA	+1%
353	Waterloo	IA	+1%
354	Paducah	KY	+1%
355	Annapolis	MD	+1%
356	Baltimore	MD	+1%
357	Columbia	MD	+1%
358	Towson	MD	+1%
359	Auburn	ME	+1%
360	Lewiston	ME	+1%
361	Grand Rapids	MI	+1%
362	Kentwood	MI	+1%
363	Muskegon	MI	+1%
364	Norton Shores	MI	+1%
365	Wyoming	MI	+1%
366	Jefferson City	MO	+1%
367	Bismarck	ND	+1%
368	Henderson	NV	+1%
369	Las Vegas	NV	+1%
370	North Las Vegas	NV	+1%
371	Fort Drum	NY	+1%
372	Watertown	NY	+1%
373	Cincinnati	OH	+1%
374	Grants Pass	OR	+1%
375	Boulder	CO	+2%
376	Des Moines	IA	+2%
377	West Des Moines	IA	+2%
378	Fort Wayne	IN	+2%
379	Terre Haute	IN	+2%
380	Jackson	MI	+2%
381	Cape Girardeau	MO	+2%
382	Grand Forks	ND	+2%
383	Manchester	NH	+2%
384	Nashua	NH	+2%
385	Kingston	NY	+2%
386	Rome	NY	+2%
387	Utica	NY	+2%
388	Allentown	PA	+2%
389	Bethlehem	PA	+2%
390	Carlisle	PA	+2%
391	Easton	PA	+2%
392	Hanover	PA	+2%
393	Harrisburg	PA	+2%
394	Pittsburgh	PA	+2%
395	York	PA	+2%
396	Yakima	WA	+2%
397	Chico	CA	+3%
398	Aurora	CO	+3%
399	Centennial	CO	+3%
400	Denver	CO	+3%
401	Carmel	IN	+3%
402	Greenwood	IN	+3%
403	Indianapolis	IN	+3%
404	Portland	ME	+3%
405	South Portland	ME	+3%
406	Elmira	NY	+3%
407	Ithaca	NY	+3%
408	Cleveland	OH	+3%
409	Columbus	OH	+3%
410	Sandusky	OH	+3%
411	Toledo	OH	+3%
412	Walla Walla	WA	+3%
413	Fresno	CA	+4%
414	Yuba City	CA	+4%
415	Washington	DC	+4%
416	Bloomington	IN	+4%
417	Mishawaka	IN	+4%
418	South Bend	IN	+4%
419	Kansas City	KS	+4%
420	Bethesda	MD	+4%
421	Frederick	MD	+4%
422	Rockville	MD	+4%
423	Silver Spring	MD	+4%
424	Bay City	MI	+4%
425	Kansas City	MO	+4%
426	Great Falls	MT	+4%
427	Reno	NV	+4%
428	Sparks	NV	+4%
429	Glens Falls	NY	+4%
430	Kiryas Joel	NY	+4%
431	Newburgh	NY	+4%
432	Poughkeepsie	NY	+4%
433	Rochester	NY	+4%
434	Syracuse	NY	+4%
435	Akron	OH	+4%
436	Medford	OR	+4%
437	Alexandria	VA	+4%
438	Arlington	VA	+4%
439	Fredericksburg	VA	+4%
440	Burlington	VT	+4%
441	South Burlington	VT	+4%
442	Kenosha	WI	+4%
443	Wausau	WI	+4%
444	Ontario	CA	+5%
445	Redding	CA	+5%
446	Riverside	CA	+5%
447	San Bernardino	CA	+5%
448	Davenport	IA	+5%
449	Moline	IL	+5%
450	Rock Island	IL	+5%
451	Evansville	IN	+5%
452	Pittsfield	MA	+5%
453	East Lansing	MI	+5%
454	Kalamazoo	MI	+5%
455	Lansing	MI	+5%
456	Portage	MI	+5%
457	St. Joseph	MO	+5%
458	Billings	MT	+5%
459	Helena	MT	+5%
460	Fargo	ND	+5%
461	Atlantic City	NJ	+5%
462	Hammonton	NJ	+5%
463	Buffalo	NY	+5%
464	Cheektowaga	NY	+5%
465	Eugene	OR	+5%
466	Springfield	OR	+5%
467	Spokane Valley	WA	+5%
468	Spokane	WA	+5%
469	Eau Claire	WI	+5%
470	Fond Du Lac	WI	+5%
471	Bakersfield	CA	+6%
472	Delano	CA	+6%
473	Merced	CA	+6%
474	Modesto	CA	+6%
475	Oxnard	CA	+6%
476	Thousand Oaks	CA	+6%
477	Ventura	CA	+6%
478	Wilmington	DE	+6%
479	Battle Creek	MI	+6%
480	Monroe	MI	+6%
481	Saginaw	MI	+6%
482	Mankato	MN	+6%
483	Missoula	MT	+6%
484	Camden	NJ	+6%
485	Carson City	NV	+6%
486	Albany	NY	+6%
487	Binghamton	NY	+6%
488	Schenectady	NY	+6%
489	Troy	NY	+6%
490	Albany	OR	+6%
491	Philadelphia	PA	+6%
492	Cranston	RI	+6%
493	Providence	RI	+6%
494	Warwick	RI	+6%
495	East Wenatchee	WA	+6%
496	Wenatchee	WA	+6%
497	Green Bay	WI	+6%
498	Mount Pleasant	WI	+6%
499	Racine	WI	+6%
500	Lodi	CA	+7%
501	Stockton	CA	+7%
502	Columbus	IN	+7%
503	Salem	OR	+7%
504	Appleton	WI	+7%
505	La Crosse	WI	+7%
506	Milwaukee	WI	+7%
507	Onalaska	WI	+7%
508	Sheboygan	WI	+7%
509	Waukesha	WI	+7%
510	El Centro	CA	+8%
511	Folsom	CA	+8%
512	Roseville	CA	+8%
513	Sacramento	CA	+8%
514	Santa Barbara	CA	+8%
515	Santa Maria	CA	+8%
516	New London	CT	+8%
517	Norwich	CT	+8%
518	Shelton	CT	+8%
519	Waterbury	CT	+8%
520	Willimantic	CT	+8%
521	Bloomington	IL	+8%
522	Corvallis	OR	+8%
523	Beloit	WI	+8%
524	Janesville	WI	+8%
525	Madison	WI	+8%
526	Neenah	WI	+8%
527	Oshkosh	WI	+8%
528	Carlsbad	CA	+9%
529	Chula Vista	CA	+9%
530	Paso Robles	CA	+9%
531	Salinas	CA	+9%
532	San Diego	CA	+9%
533	San Luis Obispo	CA	+9%
534	East Hartford	CT	+9%
535	Hartford	CT	+9%
536	West Hartford	CT	+9%
537	La Porte	IN	+9%
538	Michigan City	IN	+9%
539	Amherst Town	MA	+9%
540	Barnstable Town	MA	+9%
541	Northampton	MA	+9%
542	Ann Arbor	MI	+9%
543	Dearborn	MI	+9%
544	Detroit	MI	+9%
545	Flint	MI	+9%
546	Warren	MI	+9%
547	St. Louis	MO	+9%
548	Bozeman	MT	+9%
549	Bend	OR	+9%
550	Anaheim	CA	+10%
551	Corcoran	CA	+10%
552	Glendale	CA	+10%
553	Hanford	CA	+10%
554	Irvine	CA	+10%
555	Long Beach	CA	+10%
556	Los Angeles	CA	+10%
557	Pasadena	CA	+10%
558	Santa Ana	CA	+10%
559	Santa Cruz	CA	+10%
560	Vallejo	CA	+10%
561	Watsonville	CA	+10%
562	New Haven	CT	+10%
563	Kokomo	IN	+10%
564	Bremerton	WA	+10%
565	Kelso	WA	+10%
566	Longview	WA	+10%
567	Port Orchard	WA	+10%
568	Silverdale	WA	+10%
569	Petaluma	CA	+11%
570	Santa Rosa	CA	+11%
571	Duluth	MN	+11%
572	Rochester	MN	+11%
573	St. Cloud	MN	+11%
574	Vineland	NJ	+11%
575	Lacey	WA	+11%
576	Olympia	WA	+11%
577	Tumwater	WA	+11%
578	Napa	CA	+12%
579	Bridgeport	CT	+12%
580	Danbury	CT	+12%
581	Stamford	CT	+12%
582	Decatur	IL	+13%
583	Springfield	MA	+13%
584	Hillsboro	OR	+13%
585	Portland	OR	+13%
586	Anacortes	WA	+13%
587	Kennewick	WA	+13%
588	Mount Vernon	WA	+13%
589	Richland	WA	+13%
590	Vancouver	WA	+13%
591	Anchorage	AK	+14%
592	Boston	MA	+14%
593	Cambridge	MA	+14%
594	Lowell	MA	+14%
595	Newton	MA	+14%
596	Quincy	MA	+14%
597	Jersey City	NJ	+14%
598	Newark	NJ	+14%
599	Paterson	NJ	+14%
600	Bronx	NY	+14%
601	Brooklyn	NY	+14%
602	Manhattan	NY	+14%
603	New York City	NY	+14%
604	New York	NY	+14%
605	Nyc	NY	+14%
606	Queens	NY	+14%
607	White Plains	NY	+14%
608	Yonkers	NY	+14%
609	Peoria	IL	+15%
610	Bellingham	WA	+15%
611	Rockford	IL	+16%
612	Springfield	IL	+16%
613	Worcester	MA	+16%
614	Bloomington	MN	+16%
615	Minneapolis	MN	+16%
616	St. Paul	MN	+16%
617	Princeton	NJ	+16%
618	Trenton	NJ	+16%
619	Kankakee	IL	+17%
620	Bellevue	WA	+17%
621	Kent	WA	+17%
622	Seattle	WA	+17%
623	Tacoma	WA	+17%
624	Honolulu	HI	+18%
625	Champaign	IL	+18%
626	Urbana	IL	+18%
627	Berkeley	CA	+19%
628	Concord	CA	+19%
629	Fremont	CA	+19%
630	Oakland	CA	+19%
631	San Francisco	CA	+19%
632	Kahului	HI	+19%
633	Wailuku	HI	+19%
634	Chicago	IL	+20%
635	Elgin	IL	+20%
636	Naperville	IL	+20%
637	College	AK	+21%
638	Fairbanks	AK	+21%
639	Mountain View	CA	+21%
640	Palo Alto	CA	+21%
641	San Jose	CA	+21%
642	Santa Clara	CA	+21%
643	Sunnyvale	CA	+21%

States and territories, ranked cheapest labor first
#	State or territory	Code	Labor vs national
1	Guam	GU	−18%
2	Puerto Rico	PR	−17%
3	Alabama	AL	−10%
4	Arkansas	AR	−10%
5	Mississippi	MS	−10%
6	Oklahoma	OK	−10%
7	Tennessee	TN	−10%
8	Georgia	GA	−9%
9	North Carolina	NC	−9%
10	South Carolina	SC	−9%
11	U.S. Virgin Islands	VI	−9%
12	Louisiana	LA	−8%
13	Texas	TX	−8%
14	Kansas	KS	−7%
15	Virginia	VA	−7%
16	West Virginia	WV	−7%
17	Florida	FL	−6%
18	Kentucky	KY	−6%
19	Nebraska	NE	−6%
20	New Mexico	NM	−6%
21	Idaho	ID	−5%
22	Maryland	MD	−5%
23	Missouri	MO	−5%
24	South Dakota	SD	−5%
25	Utah	UT	−5%
26	Iowa	IA	−4%
27	Arizona	AZ	−3%
28	Pennsylvania	PA	−3%
29	Delaware	DE	−2%
30	Indiana	IN	−2%
31	Michigan	MI	−2%
32	Wyoming	WY	−2%
33	Colorado	CO	−1%
34	Ohio	OH	−1%
35	Maine	ME	+1%
36	New Hampshire	NH	+1%
37	New York	NY	+1%
38	Oregon	OR	+1%
39	Vermont	VT	+1%
40	North Dakota	ND	+2%
41	Wisconsin	WI	+2%
42	Montana	MT	+3%
43	Minnesota	MN	+4%
44	Washington	WA	+4%
45	Nevada	NV	+5%
46	Rhode Island	RI	+5%
47	Connecticut	CT	+6%
48	Illinois	IL	+7%
49	California	CA	+9%
50	Massachusetts	MA	+10%
51	Alaska	AK	+12%
52	District of Columbia	DC	+12%
53	Hawaii	HI	+12%
54	New Jersey	NJ	+12%

643 metro areas · ranked cheapest labor first

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Estimara. “Rehab Labor Cost Index: residential trade wage geography across 643 U.S. metros.” Derived from BLS OEWS May 2025 (released 2026). https://estimara.app/rehab-labor-cost-index.html

The underlying wage data is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and is in the public domain. The derived deviations, the trade selection and the labor-share scaling are Estimara's own analysis. BLS does not endorse and has not reviewed this index.

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The same rehab costs 46 points more in one American market than another