How we get the ranges
Every range on this site is a typical range and an estimate. Here is exactly how it is built, what we assume, and what we cannot know.
The formula
Low = parts low + (labor hours low × labor rate low) + fees low
High = parts high + (labor hours high × labor rate high) + fees high
- Parts: a band from a budget aftermarket part that fits, up to the car maker's part. We price them by hand, not from a feed.
- Labor hours: low to high, our own estimate for a typical car or house, not a copy of any licensed labor guide.
- Labor rate: see below.
- Fees: shop supplies, disposal, diagnostics and, for home jobs, permits. Shown on their own line.
The labor rate
We start from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly wage for the trade in the metro area (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, public data). A shop or contractor bills more than it pays, because the rate also covers tools, space, insurance, equipment, overhead and profit. So we multiply the wage:
- Car shops: wage × 4 to 5.5
- Home contractors: wage × 2.6 to 3.6
These multipliers are our assumption. A single shop can charge outside them. They will change as real quotes come in.
| Area | Auto tech wage | Shop rate we use | Plumber wage | Contractor rate we use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston area, Massachusetts | $31.54 | $125 to $175 | $44.62 | $115 to $160 |
| New York City area | $29.72 | $120 to $165 | $43.66 | $115 to $155 |
| Los Angeles area, California | $30.61 | $120 to $170 | $38.57 | $100 to $140 |
| Chicago area, Illinois | $28.52 | $115 to $155 | $46.36 | $120 to $165 |
| Houston area, Texas | $26.39 | $105 to $145 | $30.70 | $80 to $110 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth area, Texas | $26.81 | $105 to $145 | $29.94 | $80 to $110 |
| Phoenix area, Arizona | $27.56 | $110 to $150 | $33.95 | $90 to $120 |
| Atlanta area, Georgia | $28.55 | $115 to $155 | $28.85 | $75 to $105 |
| Miami area, Florida | $26.85 | $105 to $150 | $27.80 | $70 to $100 |
| Seattle area, Washington | $30.99 | $125 to $170 | $46.27 | $120 to $165 |
BLS mean hourly wage, May 2025. For other trades the table on each page shows the wage used. A ZIP we do not cover uses the US average.
Estimate or real quotes
| Quotes in our database | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | Our estimate only. Quotes are stored but not shown. |
| 5 to 14 | Our estimate stays the headline. We may show the quote count beside it. |
| 15 or more | The middle half of real, accepted quotes becomes the range, widened by 10 percent on each end. |
Today every range is an estimate with 0 real quotes behind it. The pages say so. The mascot never goes past "a bit high" while a range is an estimate.
Where the other data comes from
- Recalls, VIN decode and complaints: NHTSA, the US government's vehicle safety agency, fetched live and cached for up to a day.
- Code meanings: written by us in plain words. Some codes mean different things on different makes.
- Search interest: Google Ads keyword volumes, used only to decide which pages to build first.
- Junk removal and snow plowing: our own price lists for JunkRun and Snow Pass, reviewed October 2026. Fair Price is owned by the same operator.
What we do not do
- We do not name shops or rate them.
- We do not say a price is the "right" price. We say whether it is inside a typical range.
- We do not do repairs or home work. Not a repair shop, estimates only.
Found an error? Share the real quote and the range gets better.