The Construction Labor Cost Index
What skilled construction labor actually costs across 152 US metros in 2026 — and proof the regional differences are real. Built from BLS OEWS, latest published estimates. Core-trade labor runs about $54/hr nationally, from $46/hr in the cheapest metro to $81/hr in the priciest.
The regional index tracks real wages
Across the 9 metros with an independent BLS median-wage reading, actual construction wages rise with our cost index at R² = 0.57 — a moderate-to-strong correlation. Each 0.10 step up the index corresponds to about $3/hour more in real median wages. The index measures labor economics, not a flat markup.
Why two honest quotes differ 2x
Within a single trade, BLS wage data shows a 2.6–2.8x gap between the 10th and 90th percentile of what workers earn. That spread — experience, licensing, demand — is baked into the labor line before anyone pads a bid. Bars show the 2026 billed-rate range per trade; the tick is the median.
A bid isn't automatically "too high" because it lands above the median — but a labor line near the top of the band needs a top-of-band crew to justify it. Check where your quote's labor sits →
Labor cost by metro
Blended core-trade billed rate, all 152 metros.
| Metro | Cost index | Blended labor rate | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 1.50 | $81/hr | +50% |
| San Jose, CA | 1.48 | $80/hr | +48% |
| New York, NY | 1.45 | $79/hr | +45% |
| Honolulu, HI | 1.42 | $77/hr | +42% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1.40 | $76/hr | +40% |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 1.38 | $75/hr | +38% |
| Santa Barbara, CA | 1.36 | $74/hr | +36% |
| San Diego, CA | 1.35 | $73/hr | +35% |
| Seattle, WA | 1.35 | $73/hr | +35% |
| Santa Rosa, CA | 1.32 | $72/hr | +32% |
| Washington, DC | 1.32 | $72/hr | +32% |
| Oxnard, CA | 1.30 | $71/hr | +30% |
| Riverside, CA | 1.30 | $71/hr | +30% |
| Salinas, CA | 1.30 | $71/hr | +30% |
| Boston, MA | 1.28 | $70/hr | +28% |
| Fairbanks, AK | 1.28 | $70/hr | +28% |
| Stockton, CA | 1.25 | $68/hr | +25% |
| Bridgeport, CT | 1.24 | $67/hr | +24% |
| Vallejo, CA | 1.24 | $67/hr | +24% |
| Denver, CO | 1.22 | $66/hr | +22% |
| Miami, FL | 1.22 | $66/hr | +22% |
| New Haven, CT | 1.20 | $65/hr | +20% |
| Portland, OR | 1.20 | $65/hr | +20% |
| Trenton, NJ | 1.18 | $64/hr | +18% |
| Worcester, MA | 1.18 | $64/hr | +18% |
| Boulder, CO | 1.16 | $63/hr | +16% |
| Sacramento, CA | 1.16 | $63/hr | +16% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 1.15 | $62/hr | +15% |
| Poughkeepsie, NY | 1.14 | $62/hr | +14% |
| Baltimore, MD | 1.10 | $60/hr | +10% |
| Bend, OR | 1.10 | $60/hr | +10% |
| Modesto, CA | 1.10 | $60/hr | +10% |
| Springfield, MA | 1.10 | $60/hr | +10% |
| Albany, NY | 1.08 | $59/hr | +8% |
| Allentown, PA | 1.08 | $59/hr | +8% |
| Bellingham, WA | 1.08 | $59/hr | +8% |
| Fresno, CA | 1.08 | $59/hr | +8% |
| Olympia, WA | 1.08 | $59/hr | +8% |
| New Orleans, LA | 1.07 | $58/hr | +7% |
| Reno, NV | 1.06 | $58/hr | +6% |
| Santa Fe, NM | 1.06 | $58/hr | +6% |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Austin, TX | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Chicago, IL | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Detroit, MI | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Eugene, OR | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Las Vegas, NV | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Nashville, TN | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Salem, OR | 1.05 | $57/hr | +5% |
| Hartford, CT | 1.04 | $56/hr | +4% |
| Providence, RI | 1.04 | $56/hr | +4% |
| Milwaukee, WI | 1.03 | $56/hr | +3% |
| Atlanta, GA | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Charlottesville, VA | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Duluth, MN | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Fort Collins, CO | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Harrisburg, PA | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Madison, WI | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
| Rochester, NY | 1.02 | $55/hr | +2% |
Showing 60 of 152 — download the CSV for every metro and trade.
How this was built
Base wages come from the BLS OEWS, latest published estimates for 16 construction trades. Each is converted to a billed labor rate with a trade-specific burden multiplier (benefits, overhead, insurance, profit), then escalated to 2026 and scaled by each metro's regional cost index. The validation regression uses only the 9 metros with a directly-measured BLS MSA wage — no synthetic points. Full method: how we score.
Put the numbers to work: audit a contractor's bid, look up local trade rates, browse city cost guides, or check permit fees by city.
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