Insulation cost in New York City: what owners paid (2023 survey)
New York City owners paid a median $2,857 for insulation: $1,357 above the U.S. median, tied for the highest of 6 big metros (Census Bureau, 2023).
What New York City owners paid
$2,857
This is historical spending: work done in about 2021 to 2023 on owner-occupied homes, reported in the 2023 survey.
Margin of error ±$590: at 90% confidence the New York City median lies between $2,267 and $3,447.
How New York City compares
- U.S. median, same work
- $1,500
- Rank, highest first
- Tied at 1 of 6
New York City: $2,857. The highest of the big metros.
9 of the 15 metros have no published figure for this work, so the rank counts the other 6.
- New York City$2,857
- Washington DC$2,857
- Houston$2,000
- Boston$1,800
- Dallas$1,800
- Philadelphia$1,000
No published figure: Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Riverside, San Francisco, Seattle.
What it covers
Adding or replacing insulation anywhere in the house: attic, walls or floors.
The Census category is “Insulation” within “Interior Additions and Replacements”: what New York City-area homeowners told the Census Bureau they paid, every size of job together.
Before you compare quotes
Ask every contractor to price the same scope, in writing. Which surfaces, removal, access and air-sealing tasks are included?
Then put the quotes in your project budget worksheet to see each one's scope beside its price.