Fence Cost Calculator
Homeowners who hired a professional to add or replace fencing or walls reported a median cost of $4,500 in 2026 prices; half of the jobs cost $2,000 to $7,900.
United States · hired a pro
$4,500median cost
Half of these jobs cost between $2,000 and $7,900.
977 real jobs from 2021 to 2023, in 2026 prices.
Is your fence quote high or low?
| Cost of the job | Share of jobs |
|---|---|
| $1,000 or less | 12% |
| $1,500 or less | 20% |
| $2,500 or less | 32% |
| $3,000 or less | 37% |
| $4,000 or less | 49% |
| $6,000 or less | 64% |
| $7,500 or less | 71% |
| $10,000 or less | 82% |
| $15,000 or less | 92% |
| $20,000 or less | 95% |
The survey does not record the length or height of the fence, its material, or whether the job was a fence or a wall, so a higher quote is not necessarily too high.
Fence cost by home size and lot size
Size of the whole home, not of the job.
| Home size | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000–1,499 sq ft | $3,900 | $1,400–$5,700 | 157 |
| 1,500–1,999 sq ft | $3,900 | $2,000–$8,400 | 233 |
| 2,000–2,499 sq ft | $3,900 | $1,700–$6,800 | 210 |
| 2,500–2,999 sq ft | $4,500 | $1,900–$9,100 | 133 |
| 3,000–3,999 sq ft | $5,700 | $2,400–$11,300 | 115 |
| 4,000 sq ft or more | $10,300 | $4,500–$15,800 | 61 |
Fewer than 30 jobs, no figure: 750–999 sq ft (29).
By lot size
For 96% of these jobs the Census Bureau filled in the lot size; the costs are the owners' own.
| Lot size | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1/8 acre | $3,400 | $1,700–$6,800 | 125 |
| 1/8 to 1/4 acre | $3,900 | $1,600–$6,500 | 428 |
| 1/4 to 1/2 acre | $5,100 | $2,300–$8,000 | 235 |
| 1/2 to 1 acre | $6,800 | $3,400–$14,800 | 75 |
| 1 to 5 acres | $6,800 | $3,400–$11,400 | 77 |
Fewer than 30 jobs, no figure: 5 to 10 acres (12), 10 acres or more (13).
By home value
| Home value | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $200,000 | $3,400 | $1,800–$7,700 | 71 |
| $200,000–$349,999 | $4,000 | $1,800–$7,000 | 196 |
| $350,000–$599,999 | $4,500 | $2,300–$9,100 | 282 |
| $600,000 or more | $4,500 | $2,300–$9,200 | 384 |
Fence cost by region and metro area
| Region and division | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast | $5,700 | $2,500–$11,800 | 141 |
| New EnglandConnecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont | $5,700 | $2,800–$11,800 | 65 |
| Middle AtlanticNew Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania | $5,100 | $1,800–$12,300 | 76 |
| Midwest | $4,500 | $2,300–$9,000 | 131 |
| East North CentralIllinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin | $5,100 | $1,700–$9,000 | 100 |
| West North CentralIowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota | $4,000 | $2,300–$9,000 | 31 |
| South | $4,000 | $2,000–$6,800 | 368 |
| South AtlanticDelaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia | $4,500 | $2,300–$7,300 | 170 |
| West South CentralArkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas | $3,400 | $1,700–$6,800 | 177 |
| West | $3,900 | $1,500–$7,900 | 337 |
| MountainArizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming | $4,500 | $1,400–$8,400 | 58 |
| PacificAlaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington | $3,600 | $1,700–$7,700 | 279 |
Fewer than 30 jobs, no figure: East South Central (21).
By metro area
| Metro area | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | $6,400 | $3,400–$10,200 | 47 |
| Chicago | $4,500 | $1,700–$6,400 | 31 |
| Cincinnati | $4,900 | $1,700–$9,000 | 54 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $3,400 | $1,600–$6,800 | 48 |
| Denver | $4,500 | $1,800–$9,000 | 83 |
| Houston | $2,300 | $1,100–$5,100 | 85 |
| Los Angeles | $2,500 | $1,300–$7,300 | 30 |
| New Orleans | $4,500 | $1,500–$8,400 | 58 |
| Philadelphia | $4,600 | $3,200–$9,100 | 32 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino | $4,500 | $1,900–$8,200 | 42 |
| San Francisco-Oakland | $3,900 | $2,000–$6,800 | 75 |
| Seattle | $4,400 | $1,700–$8,600 | 57 |
| Washington, DC | $4,500 | $1,100–$8,500 | 49 |
Fewer than 30 jobs, no figure: Atlanta (24), Cleveland (20), Detroit (23), Miami (13), Milwaukee (23), New York (28), Phoenix (21).
Fence cost by material and length: permit records from Chicago, Illinois
1,487 permits for 10 to 1,000 feet of new or replacement fence, October 2024 to October 2026; 94% are for a fence 6 feet high. One city's records, not survey data, and they do not say whether the property is a house: use them to compare materials and lengths, not as a price for your area.
| Fence material | Median | Middle half | Per ft | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | $4,500 | $2,600–$7,000 | $56.00 | 755 |
| Vinyl or PVC | $6,600 | $4,400–$10,300 | $72.12 | 462 |
| Wrought iron | $5,000 | $2,500–$13,000 | $77.92 | 126 |
| Chain link | $5,200 | $2,800–$8,500 | $52.50 | 83 |
| Fence length, ft | Median | Middle half | Permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $3,000 | $1,800–$4,400 | 335 |
| 50–99 | $4,800 | $3,300–$6,600 | 488 |
| 100–149 | $6,300 | $4,400–$8,800 | 326 |
| 150–199 | $9,000 | $6,000–$12,500 | 151 |
| 200–299 | $11,000 | $7,100–$15,500 | 135 |
| 300 or more | $8,900 | $5,000–$23,900 | 52 |
Median per linear foot: $62.50 (middle half $40.48–$92.98), from 1,487 permits.
| Ft | Wood | Vinyl | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 50 | $2,600 | $3,400 | $3,800 |
| 50–99 | $4,300 | $5,500 | |
| 100–149 | $5,700 | $7,900 | |
| 150–199 | $7,400 | $12,000 | |
| 200–299 | $9,700 | $12,300 |
About these records and the notice the city requires
Check against the survey: the 1,487 permits have a median reported cost of $5,000; homeowners in the Chicago metro area reported $4,500 for fence and wall jobs (93 jobs, 2019, 2021 and 2023 surveys, 2026 prices).
The cost is the cost the applicant reported on the permit, not adjusted for price changes and rounded the same way as the other costs on this page. Of the 1,855 fence permits the city issued in these two years, 300 that legalize a fence built earlier are left out, as are 17 for a trash enclosure or without a description that can be read and 51 for less than 10 or more than 1,000 feet of fence. The table by material covers the 1,426 permits for one of the 4 materials shown; the 58 permits that combine materials are left out of it. Length is the total length of fence on the permit. The figure per linear foot is the median of each permit's cost divided by its length. Groups with fewer than 30 permits are not shown. Source: City of Chicago, "Building Permits". The City of Chicago makes this data available on an "as is" basis and makes no warranty as to its content, accuracy, timeliness or completeness. The city has not reviewed or endorsed this site. More about these records
Notice required by the city's terms of use: "This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk."
How homeowners paid for fence and wall jobs
| Paid mainly with | Share | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash from savings | 85% | $4,000 | $1,900–$7,900 | 828 |
| Cash-out refinance | 2% | too few jobs | 24 | |
| Home equity loan | 3% | too few jobs | 24 | |
| Insurance settlement | 1% | too few jobs | 14 | |
| Credit or store card | 4% | $4,500 | $1,800–$7,700 | 48 |
| Contractor financing | 2% | too few jobs | 12 | |
| Other | 3% | too few jobs | 23 |
Fence: hiring a pro or doing it yourself
58% hired a professional; 42% did most of the work themselves.
| Who did most of the work | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hired a professional | $4,500 | $2,000–$7,900 | 977 |
| Did most of the work themselves | $1,100 | $450–$2,600 | 601 |
A do-it-yourself cost leaves out the household's own time.
How often homeowners add or replace fencing or walls
6.6% of owner-occupied homes had this job done in the two years before the survey, by a professional or by the household.
| Year the home was built | Share of homes | Homes surveyed |
|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 7.6% | 2,839 |
| 1940 to 1959 | 7.0% | 3,854 |
| 1960 to 1979 | 6.3% | 6,448 |
| 1980 to 1989 | 6.2% | 3,691 |
| 1990 to 1999 | 6.7% | 3,718 |
| 2000 to 2009 | 6.1% | 4,106 |
| 2010 or later | 7.0% | 2,690 |
Fence cost by year, as reported
| Year | Median | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $4,000 | $2,000–$7,000 | 185 |
| 2022 | $4,000 | $1,700–$7,000 | 480 |
| 2023 | $3,600 | $1,500–$7,000 | 312 |
Not adjusted to 2026 prices; 2021 and 2023 are covered only in part. How the price adjustment works
What counts as a fence job in this data
Counted:
- Fencing or walls that were added, replaced or improved (rebuilt with more durable materials).
Not counted:
- Repairs, such as replacing a section of boards, bricks or stones or filling cracks.
- Routine minor work such as painting or decorating.
Survey category: "Added or replaced fencing or walls". Costs the Census Bureau filled in (13% of the professional jobs) are left out.
Where these numbers come from
American Housing Survey 2023 (U.S. Census Bureau and HUD), in 2026 prices by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis price index for home improvements. Permit records: City of Chicago. The calculations are our own; no agency has reviewed or endorsed them. Methodology · Data source