Insulation cost: what owners paid
The typical U.S. owner paid $1,500 for insulation work; across 6 big metros the typical job ran $1,000 to $2,857.
What owners paid
$1,500
The typical (median) U.S. job: half of owners paid less, half paid more.
Lowest big metro, $1,000: Philadelphia. Highest, $2,857: New York City and Washington DC.
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.
No published figure: Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Riverside, San Francisco, Seattle.
What these figures cover: Adding or replacing insulation anywhere in the house: attic, walls or floors.
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 | $2,857 | ±$590 |
| Washington DC | $2,857 | ±$870 |
| Houston | $2,000 | ±$778 |
| Boston | $1,800 | ±$830 |
| Dallas | $1,800 | ±$444 |
| Philadelphia | $1,000 | ±$491 |
| Atlanta | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| Chicago | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| Detroit | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| 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 |
| Riverside | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
| San Francisco | 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 “Insulation” under “Interior 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.
Before you compare quotes
If a quote is well above the typical $1,500, ask what is in it that the typical job is not. Which surfaces, removal, access and air-sealing tasks are included?
Keep the quotes themselves in a budget worksheet.