Services indexed
13
Hourly range, avg
$76–$126/hr
San Jose median
$101/hr
Most affordable: Lawn Care · Premium: General Contractor
San Jose indexes 13 services across 3 categories, with hourly rates spanning $38/hr (Lawn Care) to $225/hr (General Contractor). The city median of $101/hr runs 18% above the national average across all indexed cities. Construction is the largest service block here (8 of 13 services).
Source: BLS OEWS May 2024 wage data adjusted for San Jose cost of living. Read the methodology.
San Jose basement waterproofing rates $105-$175/hr (avg $140). Crawlspace encapsulation $4K-$12K, hillside drainage, CSLB B + $25K bond, by area.
Read articleSan Jose concrete rates $59-$98/hr (avg $79). Driveway, pool deck, and stamped pricing, CSLB C-8 permits, seismic spec, Title 24 stormwater rules.
Read articleSan Jose drywall rates run $78-$130/hr (avg $104). $3-$5/sf new hang, $4-$8/sf plaster repair, smooth level-5 premium in Almaden + Cupertino.
Read articleSan Jose flooring rates $65-$108/hr (avg $87). Neighborhood breakdown, CSLB C-15 licensing, Willow Glen oak refinish, Eichler slab work.
Read articleSan Jose foundation repair rates $120-$200/hr (avg $160). Seismic retrofit, cripple wall bolting, pier costs, CSLB licensing, by neighborhood.
Read articleSan Jose GC rates $135-$225/hr (avg $180). Neighborhood breakdown, CSLB licensing, Almaden luxury custom, Willow Glen Victorian gut, SB-9 ADU work.
Read articleSan Jose home inspector rates $90-$150/hr (avg $120). Flat fees $500-$1,500 by sq ft, sewer scope $300-$500, seismic + Eichler-specific add-ons.
Read articleSan Jose stucco rates $47-$78/hr (avg $62). Spanish Revival restoration, ranch re-coat, CSLB C-35 licensing, and how building era moves price.
Read articleSan Jose lawn care rates $38-$63/hr (avg $51). Neighborhood breakdown, CA pesticide rules, SCVWD water limits, xeriscape rebates explained.
Read articleSan Jose power washing rates $41-$68/hr (avg $55). Neighborhood breakdown, soft-wash vs pressure rules, SCVWD stormwater, drought-aware water use.
Read articleSan Jose septic rates $80-$133/hr (avg $106). Santa Clara County DEH permits, CSLB C-42, foothill ATU pricing, clay-soil drainfield costs.
Read articleSan Jose tree service rates $51-$85/hr (avg $68). Heritage tree permits, neighborhood pricing, PG&E wildfire clearance, and storm-season cost reality.
Read articleAcross the 13 home and professional services we index in San Jose, the median consumer rate is $101/hr. Hourly rates span $76/hr at the affordable end to $126/hr at the premium end, depending on service type and contractor.
General Contractor carries the highest typical rate in San Jose at $135–$225/hr. Premium professional and licensed services consistently command the highest rates across our index.
Lawn Care sits at the lower end of the San Jose index at $37.92–$63.2/hr. Routine maintenance and cleaning categories typically cluster at the bottom of any city's price spread.
San Jose is 18% 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 San Jose (8 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