Original data report

2026 Bathroom Remodel Cost Report

What a bathroom remodel costs is a national question with a local answer. This report compiles what we researched metro by metro — sourced permit fee minimums, licensed-trade wages, water hardness, and housing-era context — and pairs each metro with planning ranges computed by the same estimate engine that powers our cost estimator, localized by a sourced regional price index. Every number is either sourced verbatim (marked SOURCED) or derived and labeled with its method (marked ESTIMATE).

Data as of 2026-09-04 · 10 metros

The national baseline

Sourced national ranges per project scope tier. These are researched study/guide figures, not our estimates — each range links its sources.

Full gut, primary bathroom: $18,920–$70,000
Partial remodel: $14,609–$45,000
Cosmetic refresh: $7,500–$28,000

How the metros compare

Full-remodel planning ranges after local adjustment. Estimates, not quotes; the table below the chart carries every underlying figure.

Metro	Adjusted range	Index (100 = national)
Hartford, CT	$19,440–$71,920	102.746
Providence, RI	$19,260–$71,240	101.773
Allentown, PA	$18,910–$69,980	99.968
Raleigh, NC	$18,570–$68,710	98.157
Richmond, VA	$18,510–$68,500	97.858
Milwaukee, WI	$18,340–$67,860	96.937
Albuquerque, NM	$18,080–$66,880	95.546
Akron, OH	$17,670–$65,360	93.37
Knoxville, TN	$17,510–$64,800	92.569
Winston-Salem, NC	$17,410–$64,430	92.043
National baseline	$18,920–$70,000	100

Ranked index

Metros ranked by the midpoint of their locally adjusted full-remodel planning range.

1Hartford, CT$19,440–$71,920
2Providence, RI$19,260–$71,240
3Allentown, PA$18,910–$69,980
4Raleigh, NC$18,570–$68,710
5Richmond, VA$18,510–$68,500
6Milwaukee, WI$18,340–$67,860
7Albuquerque, NM$18,080–$66,880
8Akron, OH$17,670–$65,360
9Knoxville, TN$17,510–$64,800
10Winston-Salem, NC$17,410–$64,430

Metro spotlights

One spotlight per published metro: locally adjusted ranges per scope tier, plus the sourced local context an average can’t capture.

Akron, OH

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$17,670–$65,360

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Akron BEA all-items regional price parity index (93.37; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$13,640–$42,020

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Akron BEA all-items regional price parity index (93.37; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,000–$26,140

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Akron BEA all-items regional price parity index (93.37; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $33.22/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $69,090). That is 4% below the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $38.33/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $79,720). That is 12% above the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $24.53/hour mean for tile and stone setters (SOC 47-2044) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $51,030). That is 14% below the national mean of $28.49/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1969 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 1939 or earlier is the largest single vintage bucket at 18.3% of the metro's 319,249 housing units; 38.9% predate 1960 and 5.9% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 18.3 api.censusreporter.org

All Akron guides

Albuquerque, NM

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$18,080–$66,880

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Albuquerque BEA all-items regional price parity index (95.546; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$13,960–$43,000

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Albuquerque BEA all-items regional price parity index (95.546; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,170–$26,750

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Albuquerque BEA all-items regional price parity index (95.546; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $31.20/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $64,890). That is 10% below the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $28.09/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $58,420). That is 18% below the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $21.14/hour mean for tile and stone setters (SOC 47-2044) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $43,970). That is 26% below the national mean of $28.49/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1985 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 2000s is the largest single vintage bucket at 17.5% of the metro's 401,720 housing units; 15.6% predate 1960 and 9.4% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 3.2 api.censusreporter.org

All Albuquerque guides

Allentown, PA

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$18,910–$69,980

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Allentown BEA all-items regional price parity index (99.968; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$14,600–$44,990

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Allentown BEA all-items regional price parity index (99.968; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,500–$27,990

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Allentown BEA all-items regional price parity index (99.968; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $36.29/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $75,490). That is 5% above the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $35.97/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $74,810). That is 5% above the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $29.84/hour mean for tile and stone setters (SOC 47-2044) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $62,060). That is 5% above the national mean of $28.49/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1970 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 1939 or earlier is the largest single vintage bucket at 25.3% of the metro's 361,874 housing units; 40.7% predate 1960 and 6.2% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 25.3 api.censusreporter.org

All Allentown guides

Hartford, CT

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$19,440–$71,920

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Hartford BEA all-items regional price parity index (102.746; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$15,010–$46,240

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Hartford BEA all-items regional price parity index (102.746; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,710–$28,770

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Hartford BEA all-items regional price parity index (102.746; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $35.99/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $74,860). That is 4% above the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $36.45/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $75,810). That is 6% above the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Local tile installer hourly rate, Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1967 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 1939 or earlier is the largest single vintage bucket at 18.4% of the metro's 499,522 housing units; 39.9% predate 1960 and 4.8% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 18.4 api.censusreporter.org

All Hartford guides

Knoxville, TN

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$17,510–$64,800

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Knoxville BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.569; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$13,520–$41,660

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Knoxville BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.569; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$6,940–$25,920

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Knoxville BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.569; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $29.09/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $60,510). That is 16% below the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $28.57/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $59,430). That is 17% below the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Local tile installer hourly rate, Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1986 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 1990s is the largest single vintage bucket at 15.7% of the metro's 418,905 housing units; 19.9% predate 1960 and 13.2% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 6.2 api.censusreporter.org

All Knoxville guides

Milwaukee, WI

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$18,340–$67,860

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Milwaukee BEA all-items regional price parity index (96.937; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$14,160–$43,620

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Milwaukee BEA all-items regional price parity index (96.937; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,270–$27,140

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Milwaukee BEA all-items regional price parity index (96.937; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Minimum permit fee: $150 city.milwaukee.gov
How the permit fee is calculated: Building permit for alterations/remodeling of one- and two-family dwellings: 1.6% of the cost of construction ($150 minimum), where cost of construction excludes HVAC, electrical and plumbing costs; plus a plan-examination fee of $0.25 per sq ft of the affected area ($125 minimum). Plumbing permits are priced per fixture ($20 per fixture/appliance, $85 minimum) plus a $20 processing fee. A 1.6% training-and-technology surcharge applies to every DNS fee. Fees are adopted in MCO s. 200-33; starting work without a permit allows fees to be quadrupled. city.milwaukee.gov

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $42.86 bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $36.38 bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $32.15 bls.gov
Reference trade wage for the metro: $35.09 bls.gov

Water hardness

Water hardness affecting fixtures: Moderately hard — 'Milwaukee's water is considered moderately hard, and water softeners are not necessary for residential use' (Milwaukee Water Works); 137 milligrams per liter, with a reported range of 112-142 mg/L. city.milwaukee.gov
Water hardness in grains per gallon: 8.01 city.milwaukee.gov

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1967 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: Pre-war and early-postwar. 'Built 1939 or earlier' is the largest single vintage bucket at 20.3% of the metro's 701,558 housing units, and 42.3% of all units predate 1960 (pre-1940 20.3%, 1940s 6.9%, 1950s 15.2%); only about 15.3% were built after 2000 (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 20.3 censusreporter.org

All Milwaukee guides

Providence, RI

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$19,260–$71,240

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Providence BEA all-items regional price parity index (101.773; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$14,870–$45,800

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Providence BEA all-items regional price parity index (101.773; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,630–$28,500

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Providence BEA all-items regional price parity index (101.773; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Minimum permit fee: $50 providenceri.gov
How the permit fee is calculated: Fee is calculated as declared cost of construction (labor + materials) multiplied by a state-set rate table (set by the State of Rhode Island in July 2018). The Department cross-checks declared cost against its own estimate, built from the ICC Building Valuation Data cost-per-square-foot table, and expects the two figures to be within about 1% of each other. providenceri.gov

Trade wages

Reference trade wage for the metro: $32.88 fraser.stlouisfed.org

Not recorded for this metro yet: Local plumber hourly rate, Local electrician hourly rate, Local tile installer hourly rate.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1962 censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: Bimodal stock: 30.7% of units were built in 1939 or earlier, with another large cohort from 1950-1979 (33.4% combined); very little (0.7%) is 2020-or-later new construction. Median year built for the metro is 1962. censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 30.7 censusreporter.org

All Providence guides

Raleigh, NC

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$18,570–$68,710

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Raleigh BEA all-items regional price parity index (98.157; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$14,340–$44,170

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Raleigh BEA all-items regional price parity index (98.157; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,360–$27,480

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Raleigh BEA all-items regional price parity index (98.157; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Minimum permit fee: $124 cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net
How the permit fee is calculated: The building permit fee is a percentage of declared construction value; each trade permit (electrical, mechanical, plumbing) is then calculated as a percentage of the building permit fee (FY27: electrical 49%, mechanical 28%, plumbing 34% of the building permit fee for new residential construction). Alterations/repairs use a Level 1/2/3 multiplier (28%/50%/75% of the building permit fee, FY27) instead of a flat percent-of-value calculation. cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $26.12 bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $26.13 bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $23.76 bls.gov
Reference trade wage for the metro: $25.88 bls.gov

Water hardness

Water hardness affecting fixtures: Soft cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net
Water hardness in grains per gallon: 1.44 cityofraleigh0drupal.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 2000 censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: Predominantly built 1990s-2010s (metro median year structure built is 2000, ACS 2024 5-yr) — among the newest housing stock of any major Southeast/Northeast metro, in contrast to metros with 1960s-1980s medians. censusreporter.org

Not recorded for this metro yet: Share of housing stock built before 1940.

All Raleigh guides

Richmond, VA

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$18,510–$68,500

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Richmond BEA all-items regional price parity index (97.858; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$14,300–$44,040

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Richmond BEA all-items regional price parity index (97.858; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$7,340–$27,400

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Richmond BEA all-items regional price parity index (97.858; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Minimum permit fee: $63 rva.gov
How the permit fee is calculated: City of Richmond: percentage-of-value formula. $63 base for $0-$2,000 of declared value, plus $6.07 per additional $1,000 (or fraction) for residential 1-2 family work, plus a 2% state surcharge. 'Value of Work equals the higher value of either the Contractor or RS Means price.' rva.gov

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $29.30/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $60,940). That is 16% below the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $29.98/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $62,360). That is 13% below the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $24.73/hour mean for tile and stone setters (SOC 47-2044) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $51,430). That is 13% below the national mean of $28.49/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Reference trade wage for the metro: $32.89 bls.gov

Water hardness

Water hardness affecting fixtures: Moderately hard, approximately 4.1 grains per gallon (70 ppm) per USGS/municipal-report aggregation of Richmond DPU system data — enough to leave mineral scale/spotting on shower glass and fixtures over time, though short of the level typically recommended for a whole-house softener. checkmytap.com

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1984 censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: Metro-wide housing peaked in the 1980s (88,376 of 569,714 units, ACS 2024 5-yr) and is dominated by 1970s-2000s suburban construction; only about 8.7% of units were built 1939 or earlier, concentrated in the City of Richmond's urban core rather than spread evenly across the metro. censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 8.7 censusreporter.org

All Richmond guides

Winston-Salem, NC

Adjusted planning ranges

Full gut, primary bathroom

ESTIMATE

$17,410–$64,430

National Full gut, primary bathroom baseline ($18,920–$70,000) adjusted by the Winston-Salem BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.043; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Partial remodel

ESTIMATE

$13,450–$41,420

National Partial remodel baseline ($14,609–$45,000) adjusted by the Winston-Salem BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.043; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Cosmetic refresh

ESTIMATE

$6,900–$25,770

National Cosmetic refresh baseline ($7,500–$28,000) adjusted by the Winston-Salem BEA all-items regional price parity index (92.043; 100 = national average), via the shared estimate engine. A planning range, not a quote.

Permitting

Not recorded for this metro yet: Minimum permit fee, How the permit fee is calculated.

Trade wages

Local plumber hourly rate: $25.56/hour mean for plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $53,170). That is 26% below the national mean of $34.70/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local electrician hourly rate: $26.99/hour mean for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $56,140). That is 21% below the national mean of $34.37/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov
Local tile installer hourly rate: $26.44/hour mean for tile and stone setters (SOC 47-2044) in this metro (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; annual mean $54,990). That is 7% below the national mean of $28.49/hour. Labour is the larger half of this job, so the gap moves the installed price more than material choice does. bls.gov

Not recorded for this metro yet: Reference trade wage for the metro.

Water hardness

Not recorded for this metro yet: Water hardness affecting fixtures, Water hardness in grains per gallon.

Housing-era context

Median year structure built: 1985 api.censusreporter.org
Dominant era of housing stock: 2000s is the largest single vintage bucket at 15.8% of the metro's 310,088 housing units; 18.7% predate 1960 and 11.0% were built in 2000 or later (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034). api.censusreporter.org
Share of housing stock built before 1940: 6.1 api.censusreporter.org

All Winston-Salem guides

Methodology

National baseline ranges come from public cost studies and guides, recorded with their sources and basis notes; we do not run our own pricing surveys. Each scope tier keeps its source’s own reference size.

Local adjustment multiplies a national range by the metro’s BEA all-items regional price parity (RPP; 100 = national average), sourced per metro. RPP measures general price level, not construction specifically — it is applied as a labeled proxy, which is why every adjusted figure carries the ESTIMATE badge and its method.

Every derived range is computed by the one shared estimate engine that also powers the interactive estimator, so this report and the estimator can never disagree. Where a metro has no sourced index, the range is widened (×0.9 low, ×1.15 high) and presented as unadjusted national data instead of fake local precision.

Spotlight facts (permit fees, trade wages, water hardness, housing age) are recorded verbatim from the cited public sources with an as-of date. We omit anything we could not source; gaps are stated, never filled in.

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Data dictionary

report_year: Report edition year, derived from the newest as_of date across the data used.
vertical: Service vertical this report covers (stable identifier).
row_type: One of national_range (a sourced national baseline range), metro_range (that range locally adjusted for one metro), or metro_fact (one sourced local fact from the metro spotlight).
metro_slug: Stable metro identifier (empty on national rows).
metro_name: Metro display name (empty on national rows).
state_code: Two-letter state code (empty on national rows).
scope_tier_id: Stable id of the project scope tier this range describes (range rows only).
scope_tier_label: Display label of the scope tier (range rows only).
national_low_usd: Sourced national baseline range, low bound, USD (range rows only).
national_high_usd: Sourced national baseline range, high bound, USD (range rows only).
adjusted_low_usd: Locally adjusted range low bound, USD, computed by the shared estimate engine (metro_range rows only).
adjusted_high_usd: Locally adjusted range high bound, USD, computed by the shared estimate engine (metro_range rows only).
adjustment_index_value: The sourced regional index value applied (100 = national average); empty when no sourced index exists for the metro.
adjustment_index_sourced: true when a sourced regional index was applied; false means the range is unadjusted national data, widened to state the extra uncertainty.
fact_key: Registered fact key of a spotlight fact (metro_fact rows only).
fact_label: Human label for the fact key (metro_fact rows only).
fact_value: The fact value verbatim as sourced (metro_fact rows only).
method: How this row’s figure was produced — sourced verbatim, or the derivation method.
sources: Public source URL(s) behind this row, separated by " | ".
as_of: Date the underlying source data describes or was observed (ISO).
confidence: Recorded confidence for sourced facts (metro_fact rows only).

Embed the chart

Copy this snippet to embed the comparison chart on your site. It links back here — that attribution link is the license.

<a href="https://houseimprovementguide.com/bathroom-remodeling/cost-report">
  <img src="https://houseimprovementguide.com/bathroom-remodeling/cost-report/bathroom-remodel-cost-report-chart.svg" alt="2026 Bathroom Remodel Cost Report — comparison chart" width="720" height="632" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;border:0" />
</a>
<p style="font-size:13px">Chart: <a href="https://houseimprovementguide.com/bathroom-remodeling/cost-report">2026 Bathroom Remodel Cost Report</a></p>

The national baseline

How the metros compare

Ranked index

Metro spotlights

Akron, OH

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Albuquerque, NM

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Allentown, PA

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Hartford, CT

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Knoxville, TN

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Milwaukee, WI

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Providence, RI

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Raleigh, NC

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Richmond, VA

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Winston-Salem, NC

Adjusted planning ranges

Permitting

Trade wages

Water hardness

Housing-era context

Methodology

Download the dataset

Embed the chart

Sources