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Water heater replacement cost in your state
The installed price, unit and plumber together, for any state, without handing over a phone number.
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Water heater replacement in the United States, hired out
$1,610
Most jobs between $1,030 and $2,350 (middle half of reported prices)
| National median (homeowners’ reports) | $1,607 |
| Regional level (Census division) | +0.0% |
| State labor adjustment | +0.0% |
| Typical price in the United States | $1,610 |
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters: national mean $34.70 an hour. Range from homeowners who hired a professional (2021 to 2023, American Housing Survey 2023), in August 2026 dollars; permits, tear-off of unusual materials, structural repairs and local surcharges vary job to job. How this is calculated.
Having a professional replace a water heater cost $1,610 at the national median, and half of the jobs fell between $1,030 and $2,350, according to the 1,786 replacements that homeowners reported in the 2023 American Housing Survey, converted to August 2026 dollars. That price is the whole job: the tank or tankless unit, fittings, venting changes, haul-away and the plumber's time. Location moves it more than for most jobs, because plumbing and HVAC contractors spent 36.1% of the value of their work on payroll and benefits in the 2022 Economic Census. Reported medians ran from $1,236 in the East South Central states to $2,089 in the Pacific states, and our state estimates go from $1,200 in Mississippi to $2,210 in Oregon.
Where the money goes on a water heater job
For plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors as a group, the 2022 Economic Census puts materials and installed equipment at 32.5% of the value of their work, payroll at 27.9%, benefits at 8.2% and subcontracted work at 7.4%. A water heater swap is close to that profile: the appliance is the largest single item, but two or three hours of a licensed plumber, the permit in many cities, new connectors, an expansion tank where the code asks for one and the disposal of the old tank add up to more than the unit itself.
BLS measured a national mean of $34.70 an hour for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters in May 2025, with the middle half of plumbers between $24.13 and $40.92. Shop rates are higher than wages because they carry the truck, insurance, training and office; the price range above already includes them, since it comes from what owners paid.
| Census division | Low | Median | High | Jobs in survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East South Central | $814 | $1,236 | $1,979 | 60 |
| East North Central | $973 | $1,374 | $2,289 | 277 |
| West North Central | $916 | $1,374 | $2,289 | 75 |
| West South Central | $879 | $1,429 | $2,175 | 235 |
| South Atlantic | $916 | $1,483 | $2,349 | 319 |
| Mountain | $1,030 | $1,649 | $2,472 | 155 |
| Middle Atlantic | $1,145 | $1,731 | $2,472 | 162 |
| New England | $1,374 | $2,060 | $2,862 | 138 |
| Pacific | $1,145 | $2,089 | $3,091 | 365 |
Tank, tankless or heat pump
The survey records the job, not the type of heater, so the range covers the mix that American homes actually bought in 2021 to 2023, mostly like-for-like tank replacements. Switching types costs more than staying with the same one: a gas tankless unit often needs a larger gas line and new venting, and a heat pump water heater needs room, air volume and a condensate drain. If you are changing fuel or type, expect the upper part of the range or above, and ask the plumber to price the conversion work separately from the unit.
Federal efficiency rules set a minimum uniform energy factor for each storage size; the current formulas in 10 CFR 430.32 apply to heaters made before May 6, 2029, when stricter standards take over. A replacement installed in 2026 only has to meet the rule in force when the unit was made.
Doing it yourself
Owners who did most of the work themselves reported a median of $801, roughly the cost of the heater and parts. Gas connections, venting and the temperature and pressure relief valve are where amateur installs go wrong, and many jurisdictions require a permit and an inspection even for a like-for-like swap. An electric tank in an accessible spot is the most realistic project for a handy owner.
Reading a plumber's quote
A fair quote names the heater (brand, capacity, fuel, warranty years), the labor, the permit, code upgrades such as a drain pan, seismic straps or an expansion tank, and the haul-away. Compare the total with the range for your state in the calculator; a quote well above the high end usually hides a conversion, a hard-to-reach location or emergency pricing for a weekend failure. If the old heater still works, getting two quotes before it fails is the cheapest insurance against that.