The Costorie 2026 Contractor Pricing Survey

Material cost inflation has not stopped.The BLS Producer Price Index for Inputs to Single-Family Residential Construction (series WPUIP2311101) moved from 144.6 in December 2023 to 157.9 in April 2026 — a cumulative 9.2% increase. Within that aggregate, individual material categories diverge sharply: aluminum mill shapes rose 44.8% cumulative (tariff-driven), softwood lumber jumped 13.2% year-over-year through April 2026, while asphalt roofing shingles remained nearly flat at +0.2%. Texas DOT's actual unit bid averages for Hot Mix Asphaltic Concrete tell the same directional story at the contractor level: from a 2012 base of $70.68/ton to a March 2026 12-month moving average of $112.09/ton (+58.6% cumulative since 2012, +2.4% from 2024 to early 2026).

Labor remains the dominant cost component for most trades. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025 (released May 2026) show mean hourly wages of $26.91 for tree trimmers and pruners (SOC 37-3013), $29.23 for brickmasons (SOC 47-2021), and approximately $24.50–$26.85 for roofers (SOC 47-2181). With burden, effective contractor labor cost runs 30–35% above the raw wage.

Storm-driven roofing demand is structural, not cyclical. Verisk's April 2025 U.S. Roofing Realities Trend Report quantified $31 billion in 2024 roof repair and replacement spending — up nearly 30% since 2022. State Farm independently reported $5.6 billion in 2025 hail claims, with Texas alone accounting for $1.4 billion (a 27% YoY increase). For homeowners in hail-prone states, the upward pressure on roofing pricing is unlikely to reverse near-term.

State-level cost spread is widening, not compressing. The 2024 BEA Regional Price Parities confirmed a 24-point spread between the most affordable (Arkansas at 86.9) and most expensive (California at 110.7) states for general goods. For construction trades specifically, the spread is wider — BLS QCEW construction-sector average weekly wages for Hawaii and New York run 25–40% above the national average, while Mississippi and Arkansas run 15–20% below. Union density variation (HI 26.5% vs MS <5%) is the strongest single explanatory variable.

Costorie's ranges are triangulated against multiple published sources before publication. For tree removal, Costorie's $300–$6,000 per-tree range brackets Angi's 2026 reported $270–$1,800 typical (with up to $5,000+ for large/emergency cases), This Old House's $150–$2,000 by size, and Thumbtack's $155–$2,000+ marketplace data. Costorie's upper bound is defensible for complex/emergency removals; the floor of $300 is slightly conservative versus current market low-end of $150–$200 for small simple removals.

For roofing, Costorie's $4–$30/sq ft installed range aligns with RSMeans 2025 Square Foot Costs ($4.11–$5.57/sq ft for asphalt architectural; $18.11–$24.50/sq ft for standing seam metal). NRCA Roofing Manual coefficients and Verisk 360Value insurance replacement cost data both confirm the same approximate spread. The 80% of US homes that use asphalt shingles (per Verisk) cluster in the $4–$9/sq ft installed band.

For sod, Costorie's $1–$6/sq ft installed range matches the consensus across three independent extension surveys: NC State Extension 2026 Sod Producers Report ($0.39–$0.65 per sq ft delivered for major varieties), UF/IFAS 2025 Florida Sod Inventory ($0.29–$0.47 farm-gate for warm-season varieties), and UGA 2025 Georgia Sod Producers Inventory Survey ($0.39–$0.66 delivered).

For asphalt paving, Costorie's $1–$15/sq ft range across project types matches state DOT contract data: Maryland Asphalt Association May 2026 prevailing binder price of $800/ton and Georgia DOT's $687/ton anchor the upstream material cost; AGC PPI analysis shows +18% YoY asphalt input prices in April 2026. At the contractor bid level, Texas DOT's Highway Cost Index reports a March 2026 12-month moving average of $112.09/ton for Hot Mix Asphaltic Concrete — the rare state DOT that publishes actual average unit bid prices in a machine-readable format. Costorie's $7–$15/sq ft installed range for residential driveways correctly sits 3–5x above DOT bulk contract pricing, which is the expected gap once small-batch mixing, residential mobilization, short-job equipment utilization, and contractor margin are factored in. Costorie's sealcoating floor of $0.15/sq ft matches SealMaster manufacturer guidance of $0.10–$0.30/sq ft contractor installed for large lots.