US moving cost estimation

How HI estimates US moving costs by distance band, home size, and metro.

Version 1 · reviewed by HI · updated 2026-06-04

How it's calculated

  1. Gather household moving expenditure from BLS Consumer Expenditure
  2. Segment by distance band and home size
  3. Apply a regional labor index from BLS OEWS mover wages
  4. Cross-check against (uncleared) industry pricing references
  5. Publish low / median / high ranges with confidence + freshness

Assumptions

  • Estimates are ranges, not binding quotes
  • National figures are modeled where metro samples are missing

Limitations

  • v0 uses modeled seed values pending direct sample collection
  • Metro coverage is partial in v0

Formulas

  • estimate = base_cost(home_size) × distance_factor × region_labor_index × season_factor

Sources

See the datasets built on this →  ·  machine-readable (JSON)