Fences and walls: what owners spent in 2021–2023
The typical U.S. owner paid $2,300 for fences and walls work; across 11 big metros the typical job ran $2,000 to $4,800.
What owners paid
$2,300
The typical (median) U.S. job: half of owners paid less, half paid more.
The Census table gives no margin of error for the national figure.
Lowest big metro, $2,000: Houston. Highest, $4,800: New York City.
Prices now: Lumber cost 7.6% more in August 2026 than a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, the latest release: work owners did in about 2021–2023. Checked .
What owners paid in each big metro
The typical (median) job in each of the survey's 15 metro areas, highest first. The margin of error is the Census Bureau's 90% range around each median.
- New York City$4,800
- Boston$4,109
- Atlanta$3,300
- San Francisco$3,000
- Washington DC$3,000
- Riverside$2,796
- Chicago$2,500
- Detroit$2,500
- Philadelphia$2,500
- Dallas$2,300
- Houston$2,000
No published figure: Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle.
What these figures cover: Fences and walls, counted together, every material, height and length.
The figures as a table, with margins of error
Scroll the table sideways to see every column on a small screen.
| Metro area | Typical job (median) | Margin of error (90% confidence) |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | $4,800 | ±$1,309 |
| Boston | $4,109 | ±$1,642 |
| Atlanta | $3,300 | ±$770 |
| San Francisco | $3,000 | ±$701 |
| Washington DC | $3,000 | ±$1,453 |
| Riverside | $2,796 | ±$804 |
| Chicago | $2,500 | ±$1,153 |
| Detroit | $2,500 | ±$689 |
| Philadelphia | $2,500 | ±$1,020 |
| Dallas | $2,300 | ±$740 |
| Houston | $2,000 | ±$90 |
| Los Angeles | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| Miami | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| Phoenix | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| Seattle | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
Source: Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey, Table 16, category “Fencing/walls” under “Lot or Yard Additions and Replacements”. Updated 2026-09-19. The metro values and margins of error use the survey's metropolitan areas, not city limits. A metro with no published figure stays blank; we never fill it in from its neighbors.
Why do cost guides disagree?
They measure different things. An estimate prices one defined job at today's rates; these figures are what owners actually paid, across every size and kind of job in the category. A full job on a large house can sit well above the typical figure, and a small one well below it. Your own quotes, compared line by line, are the price that counts.
Measure your job with the calculator, then put your quotes side by side in the quote worksheet.
Have prices moved?
Lumber cost 7.6% more in August 2026 than a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price index, preliminary).
Newer monthly figures may be out: these were checked on .
Before you compare quotes
If a quote is well above the typical $2,300, ask what is in it that the typical job is not. Compare fence runs, material, height, posts, gates, removal and ground conditions.