Vinyl siding cost in Chico, CA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (2,100 sq ft of wall)
- $9,400 – $28,200
- Per sq ft of wall
- $4.50 – $13.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +12%
- US $16,800
- Rank of 300 metros
- #31
- 1 = most expensive
New vinyl siding in Chico, CA usually costs $9,400 to $28,200 for 2,100 sq ft of wall. That works out to about $4.50 to $13.50 per sq ft of wall before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $2,000 more. Carpenters earn a median of $34.75 an hour in the Chico area, 19% above the US median of $29.12.
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Estimated cost for 2,100 sq ft of wall in Chico, CA, standard level
$15,100 to $22,600
About $7.15 to $11 per sq ft of wall before permits. Labor is about 53% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $7,050 | $10,600 |
| Labor | $8,000 | $12,000 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $15,100 | $22,600 |
Cost breakdown for 2,100 sq ft of wall in Chico, CA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,400 | $8,850 | $13,300 | 47% |
| Labor | $5,000 | $10,000 | $15,000 | 53% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $9,400 | $18,800 | $28,200 | 100% |
Where the Chico price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on carpenters, who do 60% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $34.75 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Chico is 1.19 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 53% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Chico is at 105.2 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $8,400 nationally becomes $8,850 here (midpoint, 2,100 sq ft of wall). Permits follow the all-items index of 101.2: $0 to $0.
Data note: 10% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Chico. The wage table below marks each row.
Specs and site conditions that change a Chico bid
Old siding removal
Taking the old siding off costs $0.70-$2.00 per sq ft. Check that disposal is included.
Labor and season
Siding labor is $40-$80 an hour or $2-$6 per sq ft, and it is highest in warm months.
Wall area is not floor area
A 2,000 sq ft house usually has more wall area than floor area once you count gables and two stories. Measure the wall, not the floor.
What nearby projects cost in Chico
Jobs that often go together with vinyl siding are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Chico wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, metal roof comes out highest (+10%) and attic insulation lowest (+4%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roof replacement | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $6,650 – $13,500 | +9% |
| Gutters | 160 linear ft | $1,400 – $4,600 | +10% |
| Window replacement | 10 windows | $4,900 – $16,100 | +8% |
| Attic insulation | 1,000 sq ft | $1,050 – $4,200 | +4% |
| Metal roof | 2,000 sq ft of roof | $11,300 – $35,500 | +10% |
Chico weather and the vinyl siding calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Chico Univ Farm (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For exterior installation, the comfortable months in Chico are October through June: 9 of 12. Outside them, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Chico gets about 27 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, February and December (5.1 inches in February). Inside the workable window, May and June are the driest, at 1.4 and 0.6 inches. The station averages about 99 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 36 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Feb | 62 | 38 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Mar | 67 | 42 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 73 | 45 | 1.9 | Workable |
| May | 81 | 52 | 1.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 89 | 57 | 0.6 | Workable |
| Jul | 95 | 61 | 0.0 | Hot |
| Aug | 94 | 59 | 0.1 | Hot |
| Sep | 91 | 55 | 0.3 | Hot |
| Oct | 80 | 47 | 1.7 | Workable |
| Nov | 65 | 40 | 2.4 | Workable |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 5.0 | Workable |
What local crews earn in Chico
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Chico the blend is 1.19.
Carpenters (47-2031), 60% of the weighting: a median of $34.75 an hour, 19% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $24.79 and $38.46 an hour. About 390 work in the metro. That is 49.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $26.31 an hour, which is 16% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.14 and $34.60 an hour. BLS counts 480 of them working in the area, 61.4 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.
Sheet metal workers (47-2211) carry 10% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Chico metro, so we used the California statewide median: $36.82 an hour against $29.71 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $28.47 and $51.62 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (carpenters) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $640 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $1,700. That is a swing of roughly 9.2% to 3.4% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Chico has 78,220 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 241st by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 60% | $24.79 | $34.75 | $38.46 | $29.12 | 1.19 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $22.14 | $26.31 | $34.60 | $22.66 | 1.16 | metro |
| Sheet metal workers (47-2211) | 10% | $28.47 | $36.82 | $51.62 | $29.71 | 1.24 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.19 | |||||
Chico: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Chico. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from small house (1,200 sq ft of wall) to large house (3,000 sq ft of wall).
Basic
$9,400 to $16,900
Basic clapboard siding, simple house
Standard
$15,100 to $22,600
Mid-grade panels, standard trim and corners
Premium
$20,700 to $28,200
Premium or board-and-batten, many corners and gables
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| small house (1,200 sq ft of wall) | $5,400 – $9,700 | $8,600 – $12,900 | $11,800 – $16,100 |
| average house (2,100 sq ft of wall) | $9,400 – $16,900 | $15,100 – $22,600 | $20,700 – $28,200 |
| large house (3,000 sq ft of wall) | $13,400 – $24,200 | $21,500 – $32,300 | $29,600 – $40,300 |
How Chico compares
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 2,100 sq ft of wall range from $18,800 to $19,800 across Chico and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chico, CAthis page | $9,400 – $28,200 | $18,800 | |
| Sacramento, CA70 miles | $9,650 – $28,900 | $19,300 | +2% |
| Redding, CA80 miles | $9,400 – $28,200 | $18,800 | level |
| Napa, CA90 miles | $9,900 – $29,700 | $19,800 | +5% |
| Vallejo, CA100 miles | $9,700 – $29,100 | $19,400 | +3% |
| Santa Rosa, CA105 miles | $9,900 – $29,700 | $19,800 | +5% |
| California (statewide) | $9,750 – $29,200 | $19,500 | +4% |
| United States | $8,400 – $25,200 | $16,800 | −11% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Chico ranks #31 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Chico is 3% below the California figure.
Elsewhere in California
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 6,271,560 jobs | $9,700 – $29,100 | $19,400 | +3% |
| San Francisco, CA | 2,373,920 jobs | $10,900 – $32,700 | $21,800 | +16% |
| Riverside, CA | 1,716,760 jobs | $9,250 – $27,800 | $18,500 | −1% |
| San Diego, CA | 1,538,060 jobs | $9,650 – $29,000 | $19,300 | +3% |
| San Jose, CA | 1,134,970 jobs | $10,300 – $31,000 | $20,700 | +10% |
| Sacramento, CA | 1,080,590 jobs | $9,650 – $28,900 | $19,300 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Chico against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merced, CA | 79,510 jobs | $9,500 – $28,500 | $19,000 | +1% |
| Napa, CA | 77,860 jobs | $9,900 – $29,700 | $19,800 | +5% |
| Saginaw, MI | 80,000 jobs | $8,250 – $24,800 | $16,500 | −12% |
| Racine, WI | 76,280 jobs | $8,450 – $25,400 | $16,900 | −10% |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $15,100 to $22,600 for Chico, CA is attached.
Detailed vinyl siding report for Chico, CA, $9
Multi-page report for Chico, CA: low, typical and high cost, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor by trade, permit notes, the best months to schedule, a quote comparison sheet, red flags, questions for contractors, checklists and every source. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
Vinyl siding in Chico: your questions
+How much does it cost to install vinyl siding in Chico?
For 2,100 sq ft of wall, expect $9,400 to $28,200 in the Chico area. A standard-spec job lands at $15,100 to $22,600. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft of wall and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft of wall for vinyl siding in Chico?
About $4.50 to $13.50 per sq ft of wall for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $4 to $12.
+Is vinyl siding cheaper in Chico or Sacramento?
Sacramento is 70 miles away. The midpoint for 2,100 sq ft of wall there is $19,300, which is 2% more than Chico ($18,800). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Chico?
About 53% at the midpoint, or $10,000 out of $18,800. Materials are 47% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 50%.
+What would average house (2,100 sq ft of wall) cost in Chico?
$9,400 to $28,200. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does vinyl siding need a permit in Chico?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Chico area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Chico expensive for vinyl siding compared with the rest of California?
Chico is 3% below the California statewide estimate ($19,500 at the midpoint). We cover 23 metros in California; see the state page to compare them.
+What do carpenters earn in Chico?
The BLS median is $34.75 an hour in the Chico area, compared with $29.12 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $24.79 to $38.46.
+What do basic and premium vinyl siding work cost in Chico?
For 2,100 sq ft of wall, basic work runs $9,400 to $16,900 and premium work $20,700 to $28,200. Basic means: basic clapboard siding, simple house. Premium means: premium or board-and-batten, many corners and gables.
+When is the best time to install vinyl siding in Chico?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are October through June. May and June are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Vinyl siding near Chico
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Vinyl Siding Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = installed price minus HomeGuide's $2-$6 per sq ft labor figure, which it says is around half the project cost.