Worcester County · Worcester labor area · 213,862 residents
Home project costs in Worcester, MA
What a roof, siding, deck, fence, driveway or heat pump costs in Worcester after national installed prices are adjusted for local trade wages. 3 of the six have their own page here because the city's fee schedule sets a permit fee for them.
- 1Roof $10,700–$17,400
- 2Siding $6,600–$19,850
- 3Deck $8,700–$17,450
Six projects at their reference sizes
| Project | Size, material | Estimate | Permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | 2,000 sq ft, architectural | $10,700–$17,400 | $180 |
| Siding replacement | 1,500 sq ft, vinyl | $6,600–$19,850 | $168 |
| Deck building | 320 sq ft, pressure-treated | $8,700–$17,450 | $168 |
| Fence installation | 150 linear ft, wood | $3,250–$8,200 | no line |
| Driveway paving | 600 sq ft, asphalt | $3,250–$7,700 | no line |
| Heat pump installation | 2,000 sq ft home, ducted air-source | $11,050–$22,100 | no line |
“No line” means the city's schedule, as read on October 21, 2026, sets no fee this site could apply to that work; the building department can say whether a permit is needed.
Labor index by trade
Worcester County sits in the Worcester, MA. Each project's labor is scaled by the trade that does it:
| Trade | Local median | US median | Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers | $50.61 | $26.65 | +89.9% |
| Carpenters | $35.10 | $29.12 | +20.5% |
| Construction laborers | $29.52 | $22.66 | +30.3% |
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators | $29.31* | $25.64 | +14.3% |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers | $30.69* | $27.41 | +12.0% |
| HVAC mechanics and installers | $35.48 | $29.33 | +21.0% |
* BLS publishes no estimate for this trade in the Worcester area; Massachusetts statewide median used. Wages: BLS 2025 wage data via O*NET OnLine.
Worcester in numbers
The Census Bureau estimates 213,862 people lived in Worcester on July 1, 2025, up 3.6% from the 206,518 counted in the 2020 census. On 37.36 square miles of land that is 5,528 people per square mile in 2020, among the densest places on this site (3 of 24); dense Massachusetts city blocks mean small lots, shared walls and street parking that crews price into access and staging.
42.8% of Worcester's occupied homes are lived in by their owners, fewer than the 62.5% across Massachusetts, and the median owner-occupied home is valued at $374,400 (Massachusetts: $562,100).
The city's permit schedule
Read from City of Worcester, Department of Inspectional Services, Schedule of Fees (Building Permits) (effective March 1, 2024 (cover page)). The lines this site uses:
“$12.00 per $1,000.00 or fraction thereof of construction value”
“$9.00 per $1,000.00 over $1,000,000) Minimum $100.00”
Nearby towns
Worcester is the only town on this site in the Worcester labor area so far.
All towns: town list · State: roof in Massachusetts, siding in Massachusetts, deck in Massachusetts, heat pump in Massachusetts · Guides: permit fees by town, labor costs in New Hampshire
Population: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: population estimates July 1, 2025 (V2025), 2020 census, land area and density; housing: Census QuickFacts, Worcester (ACS 2020-2024). Checked October 21, 2026. Estimates are ranges from published averages, not quotes.