- Whole house generator installation usually costs $5,750 to $14,500, about $10,000 typical.
- A standby generator with transfer switch, installed on a pad and connected to gas or propane.
- Price your own job with the calculator above; it breaks the job into lines.
What whole house generator installation costs
Expect whole house generator installation to cost between $5,750 and $14,500, with $10,000 as a typical figure. A standby generator with transfer switch, installed on a pad and connected to gas or propane.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $5,750 |
| Typical | $10,000 |
| High end | $14,500 |
The range blends Fixr and HomeAdvisor (method below). Where you live matters: Koira's estimate is $8,621 in Arkansas and $12,307 in Hawaii.
What drives the price
- Size. Generators are sized in kilowatts. Powering a whole house with central air takes a big unit. Fixr's typical job is an 18 kW generator for a 2,000 square foot home.
- Whole house or essentials. HomeAdvisor's lower range covers smaller units on key circuits. Fixr's range is a full standby system.
- Fuel. A gas line or propane tank run to the unit adds cost.
- Transfer switch and permits. An automatic transfer switch, electrical work and permits are part of the install.
Whole house generator installation cost by generator type
| Generator | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Portable generator | $500 to $2,000 | Bob Vila |
| Partial home standby | $2,000 to $6,300 | Bob Vila |
| Whole-house standby | $5,000 to $18,000 | Bob Vila |
Whole house generator installation cost by state
Koira estimates for each state, built from the national $5,750 to $14,500. About 60% of a whole house generator installation price is labor, and only that part is scaled by the state's median wage for construction and extraction workers. A starting point, not a quote.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $5,070 | $8,818 | $12,786 |
| Alaska | $6,681 | $11,620 | $16,849 |
| Arizona | $5,662 | $9,847 | $14,278 |
| Arkansas | $4,957 | $8,621 | $12,500 |
| California | $6,453 | $11,222 | $16,272 |
| Colorado | $5,845 | $10,166 | $14,740 |
| Connecticut | $6,450 | $11,218 | $16,266 |
| Delaware | $5,739 | $9,981 | $14,473 |
| District of Columbia | $6,362 | $11,065 | $16,044 |
| Florida | $5,160 | $8,973 | $13,011 |
| Georgia | $5,185 | $9,017 | $13,075 |
| Hawaii | $7,077 | $12,307 | $17,846 |
| Idaho | $5,554 | $9,658 | $14,005 |
| Illinois | $6,968 | $12,119 | $17,572 |
| Indiana | $5,884 | $10,233 | $14,837 |
| Iowa | $5,745 | $9,992 | $14,488 |
| Kansas | $5,485 | $9,539 | $13,831 |
| Kentucky | $5,379 | $9,355 | $13,564 |
| Louisiana | $5,193 | $9,032 | $13,096 |
| Maine | $5,795 | $10,078 | $14,612 |
| Maryland | $5,769 | $10,034 | $14,549 |
| Massachusetts | $6,789 | $11,806 | $17,119 |
| Michigan | $5,845 | $10,166 | $14,740 |
| Minnesota | $6,506 | $11,314 | $16,405 |
| Mississippi | $5,011 | $8,715 | $12,637 |
| Missouri | $5,877 | $10,220 | $14,819 |
| Montana | $5,832 | $10,143 | $14,707 |
| Nebraska | $5,416 | $9,419 | $13,658 |
| Nevada | $5,877 | $10,220 | $14,819 |
| New Hampshire | $5,781 | $10,054 | $14,579 |
| New Jersey | $6,556 | $11,402 | $16,533 |
| New Mexico | $5,191 | $9,028 | $13,090 |
| New York | $6,379 | $11,094 | $16,086 |
| North Carolina | $5,162 | $8,977 | $13,017 |
| North Dakota | $5,844 | $10,163 | $14,737 |
| Ohio | $5,901 | $10,262 | $14,880 |
| Oklahoma | $5,117 | $8,900 | $12,905 |
| Oregon | $6,131 | $10,662 | $15,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $5,807 | $10,098 | $14,643 |
| Rhode Island | $5,952 | $10,352 | $15,011 |
| South Carolina | $5,172 | $8,994 | $13,041 |
| South Dakota | $5,204 | $9,051 | $13,123 |
| Tennessee | $5,227 | $9,090 | $13,181 |
| Texas | $5,149 | $8,954 | $12,984 |
| Utah | $5,611 | $9,759 | $14,151 |
| Vermont | $5,761 | $10,019 | $14,527 |
| Virginia | $5,570 | $9,688 | $14,047 |
| Washington | $6,674 | $11,607 | $16,831 |
| West Virginia | $5,638 | $9,805 | $14,217 |
| Wisconsin | $5,987 | $10,413 | $15,099 |
| Wyoming | $5,762 | $10,021 | $14,530 |
Rural areas and cities in the same state can differ a lot.
How we got these numbers
| Guide | Range | Average | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixr | $10,000 to $20,000 | $15,000 | Counted |
| HomeAdvisor | $1,512 to $8,803 | $5,157 | Counted |
| Bob Vila | $1,524 to $8,658 | $5,090 | Shown, not counted: it repeats another guide's figures |
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 whole house generator installation price. Where a guide gives no average we use its midpoint. All read on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 60%. None of the guides splits labor out for this job, so this share is Koira's working assumption for electrical work. 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
Electrical work needs permits and inspections, so put the permit on its own line and the homeowner sees why it is there.
Run the numbers for a real whole house generator installation in the free whole house generator cost calculator, then save the result as an estimate. On Koira's free Office plan you build the estimate, text it, collect the deposit and turn it into an invoice when the whole house generator installation is done. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: Fixr, whole house generator installation cost; HomeAdvisor, whole house generator installation cost; Bob Vila, whole house generator 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.