Plumbing fixtures: what owners spent in 2021–2023
The typical U.S. owner paid $542 for plumbing fixtures work; across 14 big metros the typical job ran $500 to $1,182.
What owners paid
$542
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 metros, $500: Dallas, Houston and Detroit. Highest, $1,182: New York City.
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$1,182
- Miami$1,129
- Boston$1,000
- Los Angeles$862
- San Francisco$862
- Chicago$813
- Atlanta$800
- Seattle$800
- Washington DC$800
- Philadelphia$750
- Riverside$600
- Dallas$500
- Detroit$500
- Houston$500
No published figure: Phoenix.
What these figures cover: Toilets, sinks, tubs and other plumbing fixtures, counted apart from pipe work and water heaters.
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 | $1,182 | ±$404 |
| Miami | $1,129 | ±$401 |
| Boston | $1,000 | ±$155 |
| Los Angeles | $862 | ±$236 |
| San Francisco | $862 | ±$227 |
| Chicago | $813 | ±$249 |
| Atlanta | $800 | ±$219 |
| Seattle | $800 | ±$304 |
| Washington DC | $800 | ±$281 |
| Philadelphia | $750 | ±$299 |
| Riverside | $600 | ±$203 |
| Dallas | $500 | ±$67 |
| Detroit | $500 | ±$95 |
| Houston | $500 | ±$144 |
| Phoenix | Not published Withheld by Census | Not published |
Source: Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey, Table 16, category “Plumbing fixtures” 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 $542, ask what is in it that the typical job is not. For a toilet replacement, separate the toilet, installation, connections, removal and disposal. Ask which floor or flange repairs are excluded.