Data report · Nov 3, 2026

Appliance repair vs replace — by metro

Fridge repair mid is about 14% of replace nationally; mainland replace mids span roughly $442.

Last updated from data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · PPI construction materials 2026-09

Chart: Fairange mid estimates · BLS OEWS May 2025 · Share freely with attribution

The old rule of thumb says: if a repair quote tops about half the price of a new unit, replace it. We can put numbers on that without inventing retail prices. For every metro that publishes a local OEWS wage for Home Appliance Repairers (SOC 49-9031), we compared our mid planning estimates for fridge repair versus the new fridge replacement job — same wage file, Home Depot unit bands cited in DATA_SOURCES, same markup schedule.

Nationally, a typical fridge repair mid lands around $281 against a replace mid of about $1,942 — roughly 14% of the replace mid. That’s well under the 50% rule for a routine visit; sealed-system compressor work is a different animal and often tips the math.

Because a new fridge is mostly the appliance, geography barely budges the replace mid: mainland metros only span about $442 from Jackson ($1,754) to Barnstable Town ($2,196). Labor markets show up more clearly in the repair line — and in how large that repair is as a share of replace.

Priciest metros to replace a fridge

#	Metro	St	Replace mid	Repair mid	Repair share	Wage
1	Barnstable Town	MA	$2,196	$355 repair	16% of replace	$40.66/hr
2	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford	CT	$2,136	$338 repair	16% of replace	$37.44/hr
3	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury	CT	$2,097	$326 repair	16% of replace	$35.31/hr
4	Trenton-Princeton	NJ	$2,095	$326 repair	16% of replace	$35.19/hr
5	Racine-Mount Pleasant	WI	$2,094	$325 repair	16% of replace	$35.13/hr
6	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk	VA	$2,093	$325 repair	16% of replace	$35.10/hr
7	Boston-Cambridge-Newton	MA	$2,089	$324 repair	16% of replace	$34.88/hr
8	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	DC	$2,080	$321 repair	15% of replace	$34.38/hr
9	Waterbury-Shelton	CT	$2,073	$319 repair	15% of replace	$34.03/hr
10	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington	MN	$2,046	$312 repair	15% of replace	$32.57/hr
11	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	CA	$2,043	$311 repair	15% of replace	$32.41/hr
12	New York-Newark-Jersey City	NY	$2,038	$309 repair	15% of replace	$32.10/hr

Least expensive metros to replace a fridge

#	Metro	St	Replace mid	Repair mid	Repair share	Wage
1	Jackson	MS	$1,754	$226 repair	13% of replace	$16.76/hr
2	Evansville	IN	$1,796	$239 repair	13% of replace	$19.02/hr
3	Terre Haute	IN	$1,805	$241 repair	13% of replace	$19.51/hr
4	Wichita	KS	$1,817	$244 repair	13% of replace	$20.12/hr
5	El Paso	TX	$1,832	$249 repair	14% of replace	$20.95/hr
6	Albuquerque	NM	$1,836	$250 repair	14% of replace	$21.20/hr
7	Casper	WY	$1,836	$250 repair	14% of replace	$21.18/hr
8	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers	AR	$1,836	$250 repair	14% of replace	$21.18/hr
9	Canton-Massillon	OH	$1,838	$251 repair	14% of replace	$21.30/hr
10	Fort Wayne	IN	$1,839	$251 repair	14% of replace	$21.36/hr
11	Elkhart-Goshen	IN	$1,843	$252 repair	14% of replace	$21.54/hr
12	Salem	OR	$1,844	$252 repair	14% of replace	$21.60/hr

Where repair is a larger share of replace

High-wage metros push diagnostic labor up faster than the sticker on a new French-door unit. These mainland metros show the highest fridge-repair mid as a share of fridge-replace mid — useful when you’re weighing a second service call against hauling in a new box.

#	Metro	St	Repair	Replace	Share	Wage
1	Barnstable Town	MA	$355	$2,196	16%	$40.66/hr
2	Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford	CT	$338	$2,136	16%	$37.44/hr
3	Trenton-Princeton	NJ	$326	$2,095	16%	$35.19/hr
4	Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk	VA	$325	$2,093	16%	$35.10/hr
5	Racine-Mount Pleasant	WI	$325	$2,094	16%	$35.13/hr
6	Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury	CT	$326	$2,097	16%	$35.31/hr
7	Boston-Cambridge-Newton	MA	$324	$2,089	16%	$34.88/hr
8	Waterbury-Shelton	CT	$319	$2,073	15%	$34.03/hr
9	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria	DC	$321	$2,080	15%	$34.38/hr
10	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara	CA	$311	$2,043	15%	$32.41/hr

We also published washer and dryer replacement jobs with the same sourcing rules — compare washer repair vs washer replace, or dryer repair vs replace, with your ZIP. Parts-only repair bands and unit prices are listed on each job. More appliance wage context: appliance repair labor by metro.

Estimates, not bids. Fairange planning estimates from public BLS wages plus published hours/materials assumptions. Not contractor bids. Hours, materials baselines, and contractor markup (2.0× / 2.25× / 2.5×) are ours — published on the methodology page. Wages are BLS OEWS May 2025. Always get local written bids.

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By The Fairange team · [email protected]