Summary
- Only 246 of 1,782 US home service businesses (13.8%) list a price online.
- Movers lead at 26%; roofers trail at 7.5%.
- For 60 of the 246, the only price is a service call or diagnostic fee.
- Pacific Coast metros: one in five lists a price, versus one in eight elsewhere.
We checked the websites of 1,782 electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, carpenters, roofers and moving companies in 25 large US metros. Only 246 of them, 13.8%, list a price for their work. The rest ask customers to call or request an estimate.
By Oscar Aston Brovall, Marketit. Websites checked in October 2026.
Key findings
* One in seven lists a price. 246 of 1,782 websites show at least one price for the business's own work.
* Often the only price is the fee to show up. For 60 of those 246, the only figure on the site is a service call, trip or diagnostic fee. Just 186 businesses, about one in ten, say what the work itself costs.
* Movers are the exception. 77 of 296 moving companies (26%) list a price, usually an hourly rate for a crew and a truck. Among roofers, 22 of 295 do (7.5%).
* The West Coast posts more prices. In the five Pacific Coast metros, one in five businesses lists a price. In the other 20 metros, it's one in eight.
* Sales tax rarely comes up. 231 of the 246 businesses with a price don't say whether it includes tax.
What counts as a price
A website counts if it shows a dollar figure the business presents as its own price: for a job, an hour, a day or a service call. "From $99" counts. These don't:
* cost guides and typical ranges ("a new furnace usually runs $4,000 to $7,000"), unless the business also gives its own rate or starting price
* prices that appear only in blog posts
* coupons, specials and seasonal deals
* financing offers, memberships and maintenance plans, although the regular non-member rate shown next to a plan does count
* percentage discounts, insurance amounts and product prices
When in doubt, a site was counted as showing no price.
The other 1,536 businesses don't list a price anywhere we looked. Across all 1,782 sites, 1,370 (77%) invite visitors to request a free estimate or quote.
By trade
Moving companies are the only trade where a quarter of businesses list a price. Roofers and carpenters stay below one in ten.
| Trade | Businesses checked | With a price | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving companies | 296 | 77 | 26.0% |
| HVAC contractors | 298 | 49 | 16.4% |
| Plumbers | 294 | 40 | 13.6% |
| Electricians | 300 | 30 | 10.0% |
| Carpenters | 299 | 28 | 9.4% |
| Roofers | 295 | 22 | 7.5% |
Across the other five trades, 11.4% of businesses list a price, so movers are more than twice as likely to post one.
The kind of price differs by trade. 67 of the 77 movers with a price give an hourly rate, usually for a crew and a truck. HVAC contractors and plumbers mostly post the fee for a technician to come out: 40 of the 49 HVAC contractors with a price do, and 23 of the 40 plumbers. Roofers and carpenters lean on starting prices.
We didn't ask businesses why they publish prices or not, but the pattern fits how each trade sells its work. An hour with a moving crew can be priced over the phone. A roof repair or a set of built-ins usually can't be priced until someone has seen the job.
Often the only price is the fee to show up
93 of the 246 businesses with a price list a service call, trip or diagnostic fee. For 60 of them, that fee is the only price on the site. The customer learns what it costs to have someone come out, not what the repair will cost.
HVAC is the clearest case. 49 of 298 HVAC contractors list a price, but 30 of them list nothing beyond the diagnostic fee. Only 19 say what a tune-up, an hour of labor or a new system costs.
| Trade | With any price | Only a call fee | With a price for the work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving companies | 77 | 0 | 77 |
| HVAC contractors | 49 | 30 | 19 |
| Plumbers | 40 | 15 | 25 |
| Electricians | 30 | 9 | 21 |
| Carpenters | 28 | 4 | 24 |
| Roofers | 22 | 2 | 20 |
| All six trades | 246 | 60 | 186 |
The call fee often comes back off the bill. At least 25 of the 93 businesses with a call fee say they waive it or credit it if the customer goes ahead with the repair. The median fee is $89.95 for an HVAC diagnostic and $97 for a plumbing visit.
The West Coast posts more prices
In the five Pacific Coast metros, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Portland, 72 of 357 businesses list a price. That's one in five. In the other 20 metros it's one in eight, 174 of 1,425, and the gap is too large to put down to chance.
By Census region, the West comes out on top and the Midwest at the bottom.
| Region | Businesses checked | With a price | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| West | 500 | 89 | 17.8% |
| South | 783 | 102 | 13.0% |
| Northeast | 216 | 27 | 12.5% |
| Midwest | 283 | 28 | 9.9% |
The regions are built from the metros in the study: three in the Northeast, four in the Midwest, 11 in the South and seven in the West. They describe those metros, not every town in the region. Within the West, Phoenix and Denver look like the rest of the country, with 17 of 143 businesses listing a price.
Most of the West Coast lead comes from HVAC. 27% of Western HVAC contractors list a price, against 12% elsewhere. Western movers are high too, but so are movers in the Northeast.
The data doesn't show why. It could be how businesses in these markets advertise, which businesses Google ranks first, or both.
Metro by metro, the counts run from 3 of 70 businesses in Tampa to 16 of 72 in Seattle. With about 70 businesses per metro, most gaps between individual metros are too small to rank, so the table is alphabetical.
| Metro | Businesses checked | With a price | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | 71 | 8 | 11.3% |
| Austin, TX | 72 | 9 | 12.5% |
| Baltimore, MD | 72 | 10 | 13.9% |
| Boston, MA | 72 | 11 | 15.3% |
| Charlotte, NC | 69 | 11 | 15.9% |
| Chicago, IL | 72 | 7 | 9.7% |
| Dallas, TX | 71 | 10 | 14.1% |
| Denver, CO | 71 | 6 | 8.5% |
| Detroit, MI | 67 | 7 | 10.4% |
| Houston, TX | 70 | 8 | 11.4% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 69 | 14 | 20.3% |
| Miami, FL | 72 | 10 | 13.9% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 72 | 6 | 8.3% |
| New York, NY | 72 | 10 | 13.9% |
| Orlando, FL | 72 | 8 | 11.1% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 72 | 6 | 8.3% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 72 | 11 | 15.3% |
| Portland, OR | 72 | 14 | 19.4% |
| San Antonio, TX | 72 | 13 | 18.1% |
| San Diego, CA | 72 | 15 | 20.8% |
| San Francisco, CA | 72 | 13 | 18.1% |
| Seattle, WA | 72 | 16 | 22.2% |
| St. Louis, MO | 72 | 8 | 11.1% |
| Tampa, FL | 70 | 3 | 4.3% |
| Washington, DC | 72 | 12 | 16.7% |
What the prices look like
Among the 246 businesses with a price, a fee to come out and an hourly rate are the most common. A business can show more than one type.
| Type of price | Businesses | Share of the 246 |
|---|---|---|
| Service call, trip or diagnostic fee | 93 | 37.8% |
| Hourly rate | 91 | 37.0% |
| "From" or "starting at" price | 74 | 30.1% |
| Fixed price for a defined job | 44 | 17.9% |
| Day rate | 1 | 0.4% |
Fixed prices for a defined job are rare: 44 of all 1,782 businesses post one. Hourly rates are mostly a moving-company habit. 67 of the 91 come from movers, which leaves 24 among the other 1,486 businesses.
Where the price sits. Few businesses put prices front and center. 54 of the 1,782 have a pricing page. Elsewhere the price usually sits on the page for a specific service (111 businesses) or only on the homepage (63), and 18 tuck it into an FAQ.
Sales tax. 231 of the 246 don't say whether tax is included. That isn't necessarily an omission. Most states tax a service only when state law names it, and some tax repairs to commercial buildings but not to homes (Avalara), so many of these businesses may have no sales tax to add. We didn't check which rules apply.
After-hours rates. 12 of the 246 list a surcharge or a separate rate for evenings, weekends or emergencies.
What businesses charge
Enough businesses publish comparable prices to report typical figures for seven jobs in three trades. The table includes the benchmarks with at least ten businesses behind them.
| Benchmark | Businesses | Median | Middle half | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC: service call or diagnostic fee | 37 | $89.95 | $88 to $119 | $49 to $199 |
| Plumbing: service call, trip or diagnostic fee | 22 | $97 | $66 to $128 | $35 to $189 |
| Plumbing: drain cleaning, single or basic drain | 12 | $147.50 | $99 to $196 | $68 to $299 |
| Moving: 2 movers and a truck, per hour | 46 | $142.50 | $122 to $168 | $65 to $230 |
| Moving: 3 movers and a truck, per hour | 25 | $190 | $170 to $220 | $89 to $345 |
| Moving: 4 movers and a truck, per hour | 21 | $249 | $209 to $270 | $195 to $460 |
| Moving: each additional mover, per hour | 11 | $50 | $40 to $73 | $30 to $88 |
Each business counts once, with its lowest price for the job. Where it gives a range, we used the low end. Prices are shown as published. Call fees are regular weekday rates, not after-hours, emergency or commercial ones.
These are advertised prices from the minority of businesses that publish them, not what customers end up paying. Half of the drain cleaning figures are "from" prices, so the real bill is often higher.
The call fees line up with published cost guides. HomeAdvisor's AC repair guide puts the cost of having a technician come out and diagnose the problem at $75 to $200, and the advertised HVAC median sits near the bottom of that range. HomeAdvisor's plumber guide gives $50 to $300 for a trip fee and $100 to $250 for a service call that usually includes the first hour of work. Most plumbing fees in this study cover the visit only.
Electricians publish too few comparable prices for the table. Their call charges fall into two groups: eight charge $40 to $150 just to come out, with a median of $77, and five charge $149 to $275 for a visit that includes troubleshooting or the first hour of work. Roofers and carpenters publish too few comparable prices to report.
Full price tables by trade: moving company prices, HVAC prices, plumber prices and electrician prices.
What the rules say
Federal rules don't require a home service business to post prices. The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, in force since May 12, 2025, makes businesses show the total price up front, but only for live-event tickets and short-term lodging.
Some states regulate prices once they're shown. California's honest pricing law, SB 478, in force since July 1, 2024, requires an advertised price to include all mandatory fees except government taxes. It governs how a price is presented, not whether a business has to present one.
Movers face the most specific rules. Interstate movers must give every estimate in writing (FMCSA). Some states also regulate rates for moves within the state:
* Massachusetts: movers must file their rates with the Department of Public Utilities and "may not charge more or less than the rates on file" (Mass.gov).
* Oregon: final charges "must be based upon rates published in the mover's tariff and approved by" the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT bulletin).
Boston and Portland are the two metros where the most movers list a price, 7 of 12 in each. Three Portland movers advertise the same rate: $187.30 an hour for two movers and a truck. With 12 movers per metro, we can't say whether the state rules explain it.
The study recorded what websites show. It didn't assess whether any site complies with the law.
How this compares with earlier figures
The only earlier US numbers we found come from industry surveys of HVAC contractors. In a December 2024 survey by The ACHR NEWS and myCLEARopinion, 31% of contractors said they "feature pricing on their websites". An October 2023 survey by The ACHR NEWS and Clear Seas Research put the figure at 20%. We found no published count of how many US home service businesses actually show prices online, in HVAC or any other trade.
In this study, 16.4% of HVAC contractors list a price, and 6.4% list one for work beyond the diagnostic visit. That doesn't mean prices are disappearing. The surveys asked contractors what they do and didn't define "pricing". This study read the websites and counted only concrete prices for the business's own work, leaving out specials, memberships and financing offers, which are common on HVAC sites. The surveys also don't say how the contractors were chosen.
How the study was done
Sample. 1,782 business websites: up to 12 businesses in each of six trades in each of 25 metros. The trades are electricians, plumbers, HVAC contractors, carpenters, roofers and moving companies. The metros, named by their principal city, are Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, DC. The target was 1,800; 18 slots couldn't be filled with a readable site.
Selection. We searched Google Places for "\[trade\] in \[city, state\]" and took the top results with a US address and their own website, in Google's order. Directories and lead sites such as Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Yelp and BBB were left out, along with social media pages and organizations such as unions and training centers. Each domain counts once nationally. Sites that wouldn't load were replaced with the next result.
Price benchmarks. Each business contributes one figure per benchmark: the lowest it gives, with ranges counted at the low end and prices taken as published. Medians are shown only where at least five businesses give a figure.
Limitations
* Not a random sample. The study covers the businesses Google lists first. Better-marketed businesses are over-represented, so the share across all US home service businesses is probably lower than 13.8%. National franchises appear only once.
* Some sites couldn't be read. About a quarter of the sites first selected blocked reading or wouldn't load, and were replaced. They may differ from the ones included.
* Some prices will have been missed. We read up to 21 pages per site. A price on another page, in a PDF, behind a form or in an image may not have been found.
* A strict definition. Quote-only sites, typical-cost ranges, specials, memberships and blog-only prices count as no price. A looser definition would give a higher share.
* Neighboring trades. Some businesses listed as carpenters are painters or handymen, and a few listed as electricians mainly work in another trade.
* Small numbers. Each metro has about 72 businesses and each trade in a metro about 12, so one business moves a metro's trade figure by about eight percentage points.
* Chains included. 33 likely chains were flagged but not removed. Without them, the result is still 13.8%.
* Prices rest on few businesses. The benchmarks in the table come from 11 to 46 businesses each and use the lowest price each one states.
* A snapshot. The websites were read in October 2026.
Citation
To cite the study: Marketit, *US Home Services Price Transparency Report 2026*, https://marketit.io/us/blog/us-home-services-price-transparency-2026.
About Marketit
Marketit is an AI marketplace for local services, based in Stockholm, Sweden. This study was designed and funded by Marketit.