Deck cost by state

A pressure-treated wood deck costs $38 a square foot in Arkansas and $53 in Illinois. On a 300 square foot deck that is $11,400 against $15,900 for identical work, a 39% spread across the lower 48.

The table below prices one job in every state: a 300 square foot pressure-treated deck at standard height, on footings, with a railing and steps.

How these figures are built

We hold a national rate per square foot 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. It is a measured figure.

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

We treat 60% of a deck as labor and permits, which is why the spread here is wider than for a kitchen and narrower than for an hourly trade rate.

Deck cost per square foot, by state

Multiply by the deck area. A 12 by 16 deck is 192 square feet; a 16 by 20 is 320.

What moves a quote more than the state does

The decking material. Pressure-treated pine at $30 to $65 a square foot installed, composite at $40 to $100, hardwood or premium elevated construction at $70 to $150. Across 300 square feet that is a $12,000 to $25,000 swing, which dwarfs geography.

Height. A deck 18 inches off the ground needs no railing and no stairs to speak of. One at first-floor level needs a railing all round, a full stair, and deeper footings carrying more load. The same square footage can cost twice as much.

Footings and frost depth. Footings must reach below the frost line, which is 12 inches in Georgia and 48 or more in Minnesota. That single number changes the cost of every pier.

The railing. $30 to $150 a linear foot depending on material. On a small deck with a long perimeter, the railing can be a third of the job.

Where the state changes the job itself

Frost depth, as above, and it is the biggest single geographic factor after wages.

Permits and inspections, $150 to $1,000, set locally. Most jurisdictions require a permit for any deck over 30 inches high or attached to the house.

Wood choice. Cedar and redwood are cheaper in the west where they are grown, and pressure-treated southern yellow pine is cheaper in the south and east.

Climate. A deck in Arizona sun and a deck under Pacific Northwest rain fail in different ways and are finished differently.

Frequently asked questions

Does a shorter building season make a deck more expensive?

Somewhat, and it shows up in the northern states near the top of this table, where crews compress a year of work into six or seven months. But it is a smaller effect than it sounds, because materials are roughly half the cost of a deck and lumber and composite decking price nationally.

That is why the spread on a finished deck is narrower than the labor multiplier alone would suggest. The hours move with the state; the boards do not.

Do these figures include the railing and the steps?

Yes, for a standard-height deck. An elevated deck with a full-height stair and a longer railing run sits above the high column, and that is normal rather than a bad quote.

Is a permit really required?

For anything over 30 inches high or attached to the house, in almost every jurisdiction. The footing inspection is the one that matters, because it is the only check anyone makes on what the deck is standing on.

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 well above the high column.

Check the height, the decking material and the railing before assuming it is overpriced. Those three explain most quotes that look high, and an elevated composite deck with an aluminum railing is a different product from what this table prices.