Kitchen remodel cost by state

The same midrange kitchen remodel costs $23,900 in Arkansas and $31,500 in Illinois. That is a 32% spread across the lower 48, and it is narrower than you might expect because cabinets and appliances cost roughly the same everywhere. Only the labor moves.

The table below prices one job in every state: a midrange remodel of a 200 square foot kitchen, keeping the existing layout, with semi-custom cabinets, quartz countertops, new appliances and new flooring.

How these figures are built

We hold a national rate for the job and adjust it by state.

The labor adjustment comes from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data: each state's mean hourly wage for the construction trades divided by the national mean for the same trades. It is a measured figure.

The material adjustment is smaller and is a model rather than a measurement. Material prices move by a quarter of the labor spread, on the reasoning that regional pricing tracks local cost of doing business but far more weakly than wages do. Alaska and Hawaii carry a freight premium.

We treat 40% of a kitchen remodel as labor and permits, and 60% as nationally priced product. That split is why the state spread here is half what it is for an hourly trade rate: most of a kitchen is boxes that arrive on a truck.

Kitchen remodel cost, by state

What moves a quote more than the state does

Moving plumbing or gas. Relocating a sink, a range or a dishwasher means opening the floor and re-running supply and waste. It is $1,500 to $6,000 and it is the single biggest reason two kitchens of the same size differ.

Cabinet grade. Stock at $100 to $300 a linear foot, semi-custom at $150 to $650, custom at $500 to $1,500. Across 25 linear feet that is a $10,000 to $30,000 difference on its own.

Whether walls move. Taking out a wall between the kitchen and a living room is $1,500 if it is not structural and $4,000 to $12,000 if it is, once a beam and temporary support are involved.

Electrical. Kitchens built before the 1990s rarely have the circuits a modern one needs. Adding them, and a panel upgrade if the panel is full, is $2,000 to $6,000.

Where the state changes the job itself

Permits and inspections are local government and vary from $250 to $2,000 for a full kitchen.

Code. Requirements for GFCI and AFCI protection, dedicated appliance circuits, range hood ventilation to the outside and seismic bracing differ by state and sometimes by city.

Availability. In a hot market a good cabinet installer is booked six months out, and the way that shows up in the price is a premium rather than a wait.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the gap between Massachusetts and Mississippi smaller than their wage gap?

Because a kitchen is mostly things, not hours. The two states are 1.20 and 0.80, a 50% spread in the cost of labor, but labor is only about a third of a typical kitchen remodel. Cabinets, worktops and appliances are bought at national or regional prices that barely move across state lines.

Apply the multiplier to the labor third and leave the rest alone, and you get much closer to a real quote than multiplying the whole job by it.

Do these figures include appliances?

Yes, at a midrange level: roughly $4,000 to $8,000 for a range, fridge, dishwasher and hood. Premium appliances can add $10,000 to $30,000 on their own and are the most common reason a quote lands well above the high column.

Is a permit really needed for a kitchen?

For a like-for-like cosmetic refresh, often not. For anything touching electrical, plumbing, gas or walls, yes. Unpermitted kitchen work is one of the things that reliably surfaces during a sale.

How current are these numbers?

The wage data is refreshed when the BLS publishes it and the national rate is reviewed each quarter. The date the figures were last set is shown with the cost figure at the top of this page.

My quote is double the high column.

Check the four things above, then check the appliance allowance and the cabinet grade. A custom-cabinet kitchen with premium appliances is a different product, not an overpriced version of this one.