What 46,049 permits show about contractor quotes

Reviewed by Matt Kovalik, licensed Minnesota journeyworker electrician. License AJ703617 (verify). Updated October 2026.

The ranges on this site rest on 46,049 home improvement permits from five cities, after we set aside every permit that did not describe a single residential job. This page describes what those permit values show. It does not explain why they differ; permits do not record that.

Every comparison below was checked against earlier versions of our classifier. A comparison appears only if it held the same direction, with a gap of at least a tenth, in every version. Comparisons that did not pass are listed as not stable.

How wide the middle half is

How wide the middle half is for each job, by region. Each bar runs across the middle half of permit values, with the median marked.

Furnace only

Northeast

$4,200 to $7,100, median $5,570

1,538 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$3,130 to $6,220, median $4,270

1,713 permits in Cleveland

South

$3,820 to $7,480, median $5,540

469 permits in Baltimore

West

$5,460 to $8,380, median $6,640

5,225 permits in Seattle

AC only

Northeast

$5,620 to $10,560, median $7,050

475 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$5,300 to $7,880, median $6,620

481 permits in Cleveland

South

$6,290 to $12,020, median $8,530

204 permits in Baltimore

West

$7,430 to $11,610, median $8,880

1,026 permits in Seattle

Furnace and AC

Northeast

$8,630 to $14,990, median $11,550

581 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$8,250 to $13,580, median $11,000

815 permits in Cleveland

South

$8,150 to $14,970, median $12,000

420 permits in Baltimore

West

$7,470 to $17,390, median $13,860

273 permits in Seattle

Heat pump and air handler

South

$11,000 to $16,140, median $12,620

45 permits in Baltimore

West

$5,360 to $10,910, median $8,270

111 permits in Seattle

Heat pump

Northeast

$10,450 to $19,130, median $13,940

58 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$9,380 to $17,360, median $12,230

41 permits in Cleveland

South

$4,360 to $12,840, median $8,000

92 permits in Baltimore

West

$6,520 to $16,000, median $11,370

8,147 permits in Seattle

Mini-split

Northeast

$7,290 to $18,120, median $12,410

361 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$6,810 to $13,500, median $8,870

22 permits in Cleveland, early read

South

$9,310 to $18,340, median $13,860

34 permits in Baltimore

West

$5,020 to $14,950, median $9,000

8,409 permits in Seattle

Panel upgrade

Northeast

$2,500 to $4,360, median $3,400

413 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$2,010 to $6,470, median $3,470

77 permits in Cleveland

South

$1,590 to $4,220, median $2,410

169 permits in Baltimore

West

$5,210 to $9,800, median $7,080

407 permits in Seattle

Panel replacement

Northeast

$1,700 to $4,040, median $2,610

430 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$2,400 to $6,030, median $3,210

100 permits in Cleveland

South

$1,500 to $3,800, median $2,420

106 permits in Baltimore

West

$3,240 to $7,910, median $5,330

915 permits in Seattle

Whole-house rewire

Northeast

$4,780 to $12,800, median $8,030

235 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$4,170 to $14,710, median $6,680

86 permits in Cleveland

South

$2,510 to $8,550, median $5,360

107 permits in Baltimore

West

$12,400 to $26,250, median $17,530

297 permits in Seattle

EV charger

Northeast

$1,060 to $1,890, median $1,540

51 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$1,130 to $2,800, median $1,520

25 permits in Cleveland, early read

South

$910 to $2,600, median $1,590

29 permits in Baltimore, early read

West

$870 to $1,880, median $1,140

1,999 permits in Seattle

Standby generator

Northeast

$9,550 to $13,830, median $11,610

169 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$10,910 to $13,080, median $11,940

105 permits in Cleveland

West

$10,340 to $20,230, median $15,800

40 permits in Seattle

240V circuit

Northeast

$620 to $1,510, median $830

49 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

West

$1,030 to $1,620, median $1,140

3,952 permits in Seattle

200 amp panel upgrade

Northeast

$2,500 to $4,480, median $3,270

192 permits in Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Midwest

$2,040 to $9,070, median $3,730

40 permits in Cleveland

South

$1,610 to $4,020, median $2,510

133 permits in Baltimore

West

$5,210 to $9,020, median $6,930

359 permits in Seattle

Window replacement

Northeast

$5,840 to $15,060, median $9,280

88 permits in Buffalo

Midwest

$3,970 to $12,440, median $6,720

1,759 permits in Cleveland

South

$3,930 to $11,650, median $7,060

729 permits in Baltimore

West

$7,780 to $16,020, median $10,130

207 permits in Seattle

Window replacement, per window

Northeast

$1,020 to $1,940, median $1,330

37 permits in Buffalo

Midwest

$940 to $1,700, median $1,250

1,742 permits in Cleveland

South

$1,040 to $1,760, median $1,340

666 permits in Baltimore

West

$1,290 to $2,330, median $1,660

178 permits in Seattle

Highest and lowest regions

Which region sits highest and lowest for each job, by median permit value. These are descriptions, not causes.

Furnace only: highest median in the West (Seattle, $6,640), lowest in the Midwest (Cleveland, $4,270).
AC only: highest median in the West (Seattle, $8,880), lowest in the Midwest (Cleveland, $6,620).
Furnace and AC: highest median in the West (Seattle, $13,860), lowest in the Midwest (Cleveland, $11,000).
Heat pump and air handler: highest median in the South (Baltimore, $12,620), lowest in the West (Seattle, $8,270).
Heat pump: highest median in the Northeast (Buffalo and Pittsburgh, $13,940), lowest in the South (Baltimore, $8,000).
Mini-split: highest median in the South (Baltimore, $13,860), lowest in the Midwest (Cleveland, $8,870).
Panel upgrade: highest median in the West (Seattle, $7,080), lowest in the South (Baltimore, $2,410).
Panel replacement: highest median in the West (Seattle, $5,330), lowest in the South (Baltimore, $2,420).
Whole-house rewire: highest median in the West (Seattle, $17,530), lowest in the South (Baltimore, $5,360).
EV charger: highest median in the South (Baltimore, $1,590), lowest in the West (Seattle, $1,140).
Standby generator: highest median in the West (Seattle, $15,800), lowest in the Northeast (Buffalo and Pittsburgh, $11,610).
240V circuit: highest median in the West (Seattle, $1,140), lowest in the Northeast (Buffalo and Pittsburgh, $830).
200 amp panel upgrade: not yet checked across classifier versions, so we do not rank its regions.
Window replacement: highest median in the West (Seattle, $10,130), lowest in the Midwest (Cleveland, $6,720).
Window replacement, per window: not yet checked across classifier versions, so we do not rank its regions.

Each comparison was also checked against the classifier versions of October 9, 2026 and October 10, 2026.

Panel upgrade or same-size replacement

Panel upgrades to more amps against same-size panel replacements, by region.

Northeast (Buffalo and Pittsburgh): upgrade median $3,400 against $2,610 for a same-size replacement.
Midwest (Cleveland): upgrade median $3,470, replacement median $3,210. The gap did not hold across classifier versions, so we do not call either one higher.
South (Baltimore): upgrade median $2,410, replacement median $2,420. The gap did not hold across classifier versions, so we do not call either one higher.
West (Seattle): upgrade median $7,080 against $5,330 for a same-size replacement.

Per window

Median permit value per window, from permits that state a window count.

Northeast (Buffalo): median $1,330 per window, from 37 permits
Midwest (Cleveland): median $1,250 per window, from 1,742 permits
South (Baltimore): median $1,340 per window, from 666 permits
West (Seattle): median $1,660 per window, from 178 permits

What we set aside

Most permits we pulled did not make it into a range. These are the counts, and the most common reasons a permit was set aside.

Heating and cooling

54,173 permits pulled in the study window; 30,588 used in a range.

Most common reasons a permit was set aside:

bundled scope (multi-trade combo permit): 4,140
2+ systems: 4,079
withdrawn/canceled/revoked/amendment status: 2,410
companion permit citing a parent building permit: 1,407
value missing or < $500: 1,319

Electrical

77,982 permits pulled in the study window; 10,268 used in a range.

Most common reasons a permit was set aside:

bundled scope (remodel, room wiring, pool, garage, addition): 7,235
HVAC, plumbing or gas work on the permit: 6,176
withdrawn/canceled/revoked/amendment status: 4,959
bundled scope (lights, switches, fixtures, devices): 4,422
multi-unit or two-meter service: 4,142

Windows

12,337 permits pulled in the study window; 2,783 used in a range.

Most common reasons a permit was set aside:

bundled scope (windows and doors): 3,718
withdrawn/canceled/revoked/amendment status: 2,170
bundled scope (roof, siding, remodel and other trades): 1,095
amendment, re-issue, renewal, extension or inspection-only: 418
new construction: 238

How we build the numbers · Data sources and licenses