Carpet installation cost per square foot is $0.50–$2.00 for labor and $3.50–$11.00 all-in with carpet and pad across the US in 2026.
Enter your room size below to estimate carpet, padding and professional installation cost. The worked example beneath the form is produced by the same calculation the tool runs.
Inputs: 12 × 15 ft room (180 sq ft), standard carpet. Divide each line by 180 sq ft to see the true $/sq ft installed rate.
Total estimated cost: $865 – $1,390 (typical mid-point $1,128). Labor and disposal use the Midwest rate; enter a ZIP code in the tool to switch regions. You can download this breakdown as a PDF from the live tool.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| 1. Raw floor area | 180 sq ft (20.0 sq yd) |
| 2. Add 10% waste factor | 199 sq ft ordered |
| 3. Carpet material | $594 – $990 |
| 4. Padding | $129 – $168 |
| 5. Installation labor | $143 – $232 |
Carpet installation costs $0.50-$2.00 per square foot for labor only in 2026. Fully installed (carpet + pad + labor) averages $3.50-$11.00 per square foot in the US.
Labor-only install is $0.50-$2.00/sq ft from big-box retailers and $1.00-$3.50/sq ft from local independent installers.
Installed cost includes carpet ($1-$7/sq ft), pad ($0.30-$0.80), labor ($0.50-$2.00), removal ($0.25-$0.50), and 10% waste — each adds up to the $3.50-$11/sq ft installed range.
Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Georgia and most Southern/Midwestern states have the lowest labor at $0.45-$1.75/sq ft. California, New York and Hawaii are highest at $0.80-$2.50/sq ft.
Yes — carpet material costs rose 4-6% in 2026 due to polypropylene and nylon yarn pricing. Labor rose 3-5% with overall flooring installer wages (per BLS data).