New York indexes 12 services across 3 categories, with hourly rates spanning $45/hr (Painter) to $730/hr (Attorney). The city median of $139/hr runs 62% above the national average across all indexed cities. Construction is the largest service block here (6 of 12 services).
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data adjusted for New York cost of living. Read the methodology.
NYC electrician rates $71-$119/hr (avg $95). Borough breakdown, DCWP Master Electrician licensing, DOB LAA permits, pre-war wiring premium.
Read articleNYC handyman rates run $48-$80/hr (avg $64). Borough breakdown, DCWP licensing, co-op working hours, and how building type changes pricing.
Read articleNYC HVAC rates run $66-$110/hr (avg $88). Borough breakdown, permit costs, Local Law 97, and how Manhattan pre-war steam buildings change pricing.
Read articleNYC plumber rates run $66-$110/hr (avg $88). Borough breakdown, permit costs, co-op rules, and how Manhattan pre-war buildings change pricing.
Read articleNYC basement waterproofing $77-$128/hr (avg $102). Borough breakdown, DOB permits, brownstone hydrostatic fixes, FEMA flood-zone impact.
Read articleNYC carpenter rates run $61-$102/hr (avg $82). Borough breakdown, DCWP HIC license, DOB ALT permits, and how pre-war trim and built-ins change pricing.
Read articleNYC flooring rates run $61-$102/hr (avg $82). Borough breakdown, DCWP HIC license, co-op IIC 55 rules, and how pre-war oak refinishing changes pricing.
Read articleNYC GC rates $99-$164/hr (avg $131). Borough breakdown, DOB ALT-2 permits, co-op alteration rules, pre-war building premium.
Read articleNYC painter rates run $45-$75/hr (avg $60). Borough breakdown, pre-war plaster prep, lead-paint rules, and how co-op buildings change pricing.
Read articleNYC roofer rates run $56-$93/hr (avg $74). Borough breakdown, DOB permit costs, LPC landmark rules, and how slate vs. flat-roof work changes pricing.
Read articleNYC accountant rates $164-$274/hr (avg $219). Tax prep $300-$10K, bookkeeping $400-$3K/mo, fractional CFO $200-$600/hr. CPA vs EA explained.
Read articleNYC attorney rates $438-$730/hr (avg $584). Hourly vs flat-fee vs contingency, OCA licensing, BigLaw vs solo pricing, and what each case actually costs.
Read articleAcross the 12 home and professional services we index in New York, the median consumer rate is $139/hr. Hourly rates span $104/hr at the affordable end to $174/hr at the premium end, depending on service type and contractor.
Attorney carries the highest typical rate in New York at $438–$730/hr. Premium professional and licensed services consistently command the highest rates across our index.
Painter sits at the lower end of the New York index at $45.12–$75.2/hr. Routine maintenance and cleaning categories typically cluster at the bottom of any city's price spread.
New York is 62% above the national average of $86/hr across our 49-city corpus. Local wage data and cost of living drive most of this difference — see the geographic precision note for the underlying data.
Construction has the most indexed services in New York (6 guides), reflecting both local demand and the breadth of BLS wage data available for that segment.
Consumer-facing rates. We apply industry-standard 1.5–2.5× multipliers to BLS hourly wages to account for business overhead, insurance, licensing, employer costs, and profit margin. The full calculation is documented in the methodology.
Pricing reflects the BLS OEWS May 2024 release. The next refresh lands when May 2025 data is published in April 2026. Cadence is documented in the update schedule.
Data: BLS OEWS May 2024 · Methodology · Last refreshed January 2026