US Home Project Cost Atlas
What home projects really cost in every state in 2026. Pick a project, then click your state for the number, how it ranks, and a calculator to price your own — solar, pools, fences, driveways, and siding, all on one map. The same figures power our calculators, so the map never drifts from the tools.
Pick a state, or click the map, for its solar cost and where it ranks.
- $2.20–$2.55
- $2.55–$2.60
- $2.60–$2.75
- $2.75–$2.95
- $2.95–$3.66
How to read the Atlas
Each project is colored by one headline metric — installed $/watt for solar, a typical 400 sq ft gunite pool, and installed $/linear ft (fence) or $/sq ft (driveway, siding). Darker means more expensive. The bands are quantiles, so each color holds about a fifth of the states. Click any state (or use the dropdown) to see its exact number, where it ranks out of 51, and a link to price your own.
Most and least expensive states, 2026
| Project | Most expensive | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|
| Solar | New Hampshire ($3.66/W) | Texas ($2.20/W) |
| Pool | Alaska ($59k) | Mississippi ($47k) |
| Fence | Hawaii ($47) | Mississippi ($30) |
| Driveway | Hawaii ($14) | Mississippi ($8.92) |
| Siding | Hawaii ($11) | Mississippi ($6.64) |
Figures are the map's headline metric for each project, computed from each state's regional labor market. See the full per-state numbers in each cost report.
Why home project costs vary by state
The materials are close to a national commodity — a solar panel, a vinyl plank, a yard of concrete costs about the same in Ohio and Oregon. What moves the installed price is everything wrapped around them:
- Labor and permitting. The single biggest lever. Installed rates run 30–50% higher in expensive, union-heavy, high-cost-of-living markets than in low-cost ones — which is why a fence or re-side can swing thousands on the same footprint.
- Climate. A deep frost line forces deeper post holes and thicker compacted base (fences, driveways, pools), so cold northern states pay more for the parts you never see. Season length also shapes what a pool costs to run.
- Material logistics. Island and remote states — Hawaii and Alaska especially — pay a premium just to get materials and crews to the site.
- Demand and wages. Hot construction markets and high local wages pull installed prices up, independent of the materials.
That's why the Atlas applies a per-state labor multiplier on top of national material rates — and, for solar, layers in the local electricity price, sun, and net-metering rules that decide payback. Full detail is on the methodology and data sources pages.
Go deeper by project
Each vertical has a full cost-by-state report — every state, more materials, a sortable table, and a free CSV:
Frequently asked questions
- Why do home project costs vary so much by state?
- Most of an installed price is local labor and permitting, which swing roughly 30–50% between low-cost and high-cost states. On top of that, climate (a deeper frost line means deeper footings and base), material logistics (island and remote states pay more to get materials on site), and local wages and demand all move the number. The panels, boards, or concrete cost about the same everywhere — the crew and the permits don't.
- Where does the Atlas data come from?
- Every number is computed by the same engines that power our calculators, applied to each state's regional labor multiplier and — for solar — its electricity price, sun hours, and net-metering rules. Material and labor rates come from 2026 pricing surveys; the methodology and data-sources pages list the full basis. Because the map and the calculators share one engine, they can't disagree.
- Which state is the most and least expensive?
- It depends on the project — the table above lists the priciest and cheapest state for each of the five. In general, Hawaii, California, and the Northeast sit at the top on labor, while much of the South and Midwest is cheapest. Toggle the map and click your state to see exactly where it lands.
- Can I reuse this map or the underlying data?
- Yes. Embed the interactive map for free (one line of HTML, attribution link required), or download any vertical's full per-state dataset as a CSV from its cost report. Everything is free to reuse with attribution (CC BY 4.0).