Window replacement cost in Washington, DC

What nearby projects cost in Washington

Because every project leans on different trades, Washington's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, garage door runs +6% and vinyl siding +3%.

Local wages behind the labor line

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Washington is 1.07 times the national level.

For glaziers (47-2121, weighted 50%) the local median is $30.44 an hour, which is 11% above the national $27.44. The middle half of them earn between $28.10 and $36.25 an hour. BLS counts 1,380 of them working in the area, 4.4 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 3.8), so the local bench is deeper than average.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 40%) the local median is $29.23 an hour, which is in line with the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $26.62 and $35.56 an hour. BLS counts 13,280 of them working in the area, 42.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is about average.

General maintenance and repair workers (49-9071), 10% of the weighting: a median of $27.52 an hour, 15% above the US median of $23.84. The middle half of them earn between $22.10 and $33.40 an hour. About 23,100 work in the metro. That is 73.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 98.4 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the glaziers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($36.25 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $280. At the 25th percentile ($28.10) it shrinks by about $110. The total moves by 2.7% or 1.1%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 3,136,190 jobs in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria area. That makes it the 6th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 2.02% of US employment.

Is Washington cheap or dear? The local comparison

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 10 windows range from $9,350 to $10,300 across Washington and its five closest metros.

Across 300 US metros, Washington comes in at #44 from the top. The priciest is Honolulu, HI at $11,800; the cheapest is Laredo, TX at $8,350 (midpoints, 10 windows). Statewide, Washington is 5% below the District of Columbia figure.

Washington is the only District of Columbia metro we cover, so the statewide page is the only in-state comparison. It uses statewide wages, which include rural areas.

Cities with a workforce like Washington's

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Washington against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Pick a size, pick a tier: window replacement pricing in Washington

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Washington wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.

Why two Washington quotes can differ

• Permit

  Window permits are $50-$200 each, or $400-$600 total for a multi-window job, and are often only needed when you change the opening (HomeGuide). No permit fee is included here because many cities do not ask for one on same-size replacements.

• Frame material

  Vinyl windows run $350-$1,500 each installed, fiberglass $400-$2,000, composite $400-$2,300, and wood $800-$3,800 (HomeGuide).

• Window type

  Single-hung and picture windows are cheapest; bay and bow windows can reach $3,000-$8,000+.

When to schedule windows in Washington

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Washington Reagan Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

August through June is the stretch where exterior installation runs into the fewest weather problems in Washington (11 of 12 months). July has an average daytime high of 90°F or more.

Washington gets about 42 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 14 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and July (4.3 inches in July). Inside the workable window, January and February are the driest, at 2.9 and 2.6 inches. The station averages about 40 days a year at 90°F or above.

Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.