- Carpet installation usually costs $1,150 to $3,400, about $2,250 typical.
- New carpet and pad laid in a room or two of an average home, with labor.
- Price your own job with the calculator above; it breaks the job into lines.
What carpet installation costs
Expect carpet installation to cost between $1,150 and $3,400, with $2,250 as a typical figure. New carpet and pad laid in a room or two of an average home, with labor. By the square foot, HomeAdvisor and This Old House put it at $3 to $11, with $7 in the middle.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $1,150 |
| Typical | $2,250 |
| High end | $3,400 |
| Per square foot | $3 to $11 |
National figures from HomeAdvisor and Today's Homeowner, combined as shown below. Labor rates move the price by state: about $2,380 typical in Hawaii against $2,172 in Arkansas.
What drives the price
- Area. Carpet is sold by the square foot or yard, so room size drives the total. HomeAdvisor puts 500 sq ft at $1,500 to $5,500.
- Fiber. Polyester and olefin are the cheap end. Nylon wears better. Wool is the top of the range.
- Pad. A thicker, denser pad makes cheap carpet feel better and last longer.
- Tear-out and prep. Removing old carpet and fixing squeaky or damaged subfloor are extra.
- Stairs and odd rooms. Stairs and rooms with many corners take more labor and waste.
Carpet installation cost by carpet fiber
| Carpet fiber | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Polyester | $1 a sq ft for material | This Old House |
| Nylon | $2 to $5 a sq ft | Bob Vila |
| Premium wool | $20 a sq ft for material | This Old House |
Extra costs to plan for
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pad | $0.75 to $2 a sq ft | This Old House |
| Moving furniture | $25 to $75 a room | Bob Vila |
| Thresholds | $15 to $50 each | Fixr |
Not every quote includes these. Check each line before comparing carpet installation bids.
Carpet installation cost by state
Estimates by state, made by Koira: the national carpet installation range with its labor part, roughly 15%, adjusted to local wages for construction and extraction workers. Real quotes vary with the job.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,116 | $2,184 | $3,300 |
| Alaska | $1,197 | $2,341 | $3,538 |
| Arizona | $1,146 | $2,241 | $3,387 |
| Arkansas | $1,110 | $2,172 | $3,283 |
| California | $1,185 | $2,319 | $3,504 |
| Colorado | $1,155 | $2,259 | $3,414 |
| Connecticut | $1,185 | $2,318 | $3,503 |
| Delaware | $1,149 | $2,249 | $3,398 |
| District of Columbia | $1,181 | $2,310 | $3,490 |
| Florida | $1,120 | $2,192 | $3,313 |
| Georgia | $1,122 | $2,195 | $3,316 |
| Hawaii | $1,216 | $2,380 | $3,596 |
| Idaho | $1,140 | $2,231 | $3,371 |
| Illinois | $1,211 | $2,369 | $3,580 |
| Indiana | $1,157 | $2,263 | $3,420 |
| Iowa | $1,150 | $2,250 | $3,399 |
| Kansas | $1,137 | $2,224 | $3,361 |
| Kentucky | $1,131 | $2,214 | $3,345 |
| Louisiana | $1,122 | $2,196 | $3,318 |
| Maine | $1,152 | $2,254 | $3,407 |
| Maryland | $1,151 | $2,252 | $3,403 |
| Massachusetts | $1,202 | $2,352 | $3,554 |
| Michigan | $1,155 | $2,259 | $3,414 |
| Minnesota | $1,188 | $2,324 | $3,512 |
| Mississippi | $1,113 | $2,178 | $3,291 |
| Missouri | $1,156 | $2,262 | $3,419 |
| Montana | $1,154 | $2,258 | $3,412 |
| Nebraska | $1,133 | $2,217 | $3,351 |
| Nevada | $1,156 | $2,262 | $3,419 |
| New Hampshire | $1,152 | $2,253 | $3,405 |
| New Jersey | $1,190 | $2,329 | $3,519 |
| New Mexico | $1,122 | $2,195 | $3,317 |
| New York | $1,181 | $2,312 | $3,493 |
| North Carolina | $1,121 | $2,192 | $3,313 |
| North Dakota | $1,155 | $2,259 | $3,414 |
| Ohio | $1,158 | $2,265 | $3,422 |
| Oklahoma | $1,118 | $2,188 | $3,306 |
| Oregon | $1,169 | $2,287 | $3,456 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,153 | $2,256 | $3,408 |
| Rhode Island | $1,160 | $2,270 | $3,430 |
| South Carolina | $1,121 | $2,193 | $3,314 |
| South Dakota | $1,123 | $2,197 | $3,319 |
| Tennessee | $1,124 | $2,199 | $3,323 |
| Texas | $1,120 | $2,191 | $3,311 |
| Utah | $1,143 | $2,236 | $3,380 |
| Vermont | $1,151 | $2,251 | $3,402 |
| Virginia | $1,141 | $2,232 | $3,373 |
| Washington | $1,196 | $2,340 | $3,537 |
| West Virginia | $1,144 | $2,239 | $3,383 |
| Wisconsin | $1,162 | $2,273 | $3,435 |
| Wyoming | $1,151 | $2,251 | $3,402 |
Big metro areas often run above their state's figure.
How we got these numbers
| Guide | Range | Average | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeAdvisor | $780 to $2,812 | $1,777 | Counted |
| Bob Vila | $785 to $2,805 | $1,772 | Shown, not counted: it repeats another guide's figures |
| Today's Homeowner | $1,500 to $4,000 | Not given | Counted |
We take the middle of the guides' lows for the low end, the middle of their highs for the high end, and the middle of their averages for the typical carpet installation price. Where a guide gives no average we use its midpoint. All read on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 15%. This Old House and Bob Vila put carpet labor at $0.50 to $1 a square foot, a small part of a $3 to $11 installed price. State factor: the state's median hourly wage for construction and extraction workers over the national $28.63 (BLS, May 2025), kept between 0.7 and 1.4.
For contractors: price this job in Koira
Flooring is priced by the square foot, so the estimate should show the area, the material, the tear-out and the trim as their own lines.
Run the numbers for a real carpet installation in the free carpet installation cost calculator, then save the result as an estimate. With Koira's free Office plan, the carpet installation estimate, the deposit and the final invoice live in one place, sent by text. See estimates. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: HomeAdvisor, carpet installation cost; Bob Vila, carpet installation cost; Today's Homeowner, carpet installation cost; Fixr, carpet installation cost; This Old House, carpet installation cost; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Prices checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how the trade runs on Koira.