Atlas variant · ROI edition
Best kitchen ROI by state — 2026.
Same 50-state pricing as the main atlas, ranked by projected resale recoup. A kitchen remodel in a hot Sunbelt market typically returns 70-75% at sale; in a slower-resale region it returns 58-62%. Net out-of-pocket per state shown below — sortable by ROI %, by net cost, or by install cost.
50 states · national avg ROI 73%
| State | Install cost | Resale lift | Net out-of-pocket | ROI % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NCNorth Carolina | $43,100 | +$36,600 | $6,500 | 85% | Read guide |
 GAGeorgia | $42,300 | +$35,500 | $6,800 | 84% | Read guide |
 TNTennessee | $41,000 | +$34,400 | $6,600 | 84% | Read guide |
 FLFlorida | $44,000 | +$36,100 | $7,900 | 82% | Read guide |
 SCSouth Carolina | $41,900 | +$34,400 | $7,500 | 82% | Read guide |
 TXTexas | $44,000 | +$36,100 | $7,900 | 82% | Read guide |
 AZArizona | $44,000 | +$35,600 | $8,400 | 81% | Read guide |
 NVNevada | $46,300 | +$37,500 | $8,800 | 81% | Read guide |
 ALAlabama | $37,900 | +$29,900 | $8,000 | 79% | Read guide |
 IDIdaho | $40,500 | +$32,000 | $8,500 | 79% | Read guide |
 INIndiana | $38,700 | +$30,600 | $8,100 | 79% | Read guide |
 NHNew Hampshire | $50,600 | +$40,000 | $10,600 | 79% | Read guide |
 UTUtah | $44,900 | +$35,500 | $9,400 | 79% | Read guide |
 ARArkansas | $37,500 | +$29,300 | $8,200 | 78% | Read guide |
 COColorado | $50,600 | +$39,500 | $11,100 | 78% | Read guide |
 KYKentucky | $39,600 | +$30,900 | $8,700 | 78% | Read guide |
 OHOhio | $40,500 | +$31,600 | $8,900 | 78% | Read guide |
 OKOklahoma | $37,900 | +$29,600 | $8,300 | 78% | Read guide |
 MSMississippi | $37,000 | +$27,800 | $9,200 | 75% | Read guide |
 VAVirginia | $47,500 | +$35,600 | $11,900 | 75% | Read guide |
 KSKansas | $38,700 | +$28,300 | $10,400 | 73% | Read guide |
 LALouisiana | $40,500 | +$29,600 | $10,900 | 73% | Read guide |
 MDMaryland | $52,800 | +$38,500 | $14,300 | 73% | Read guide |
 MNMinnesota | $44,000 | +$32,100 | $11,900 | 73% | Read guide |
 MOMissouri | $40,100 | +$29,300 | $10,800 | 73% | Read guide |
 MTMontana | $42,700 | +$31,200 | $11,500 | 73% | Read guide |
 NDNorth Dakota | $37,900 | +$27,700 | $10,200 | 73% | Read guide |
 SDSouth Dakota | $37,500 | +$27,400 | $10,100 | 73% | Read guide |
 WAWashington | $51,900 | +$37,900 | $14,000 | 73% | Read guide |
 WVWest Virginia | $37,500 | +$27,400 | $10,100 | 73% | Read guide |
 DEDelaware | $46,300 | +$33,300 | $13,000 | 72% | Read guide |
 IAIowa | $37,900 | +$27,300 | $10,600 | 72% | Read guide |
 MIMichigan | $40,100 | +$28,900 | $11,200 | 72% | Read guide |
 NENebraska | $38,300 | +$27,600 | $10,700 | 72% | Read guide |
 NMNew Mexico | $41,400 | +$29,800 | $11,600 | 72% | Read guide |
 OROregon | $49,300 | +$35,500 | $13,800 | 72% | Read guide |
 PAPennsylvania | $44,900 | +$32,300 | $12,600 | 72% | Read guide |
 WIWisconsin | $41,000 | +$29,500 | $11,500 | 72% | Read guide |
 WYWyoming | $42,700 | +$30,700 | $12,000 | 72% | Read guide |
 AKAlaska | $59,500 | +$42,200 | $17,300 | 71% | Read guide |
 ILIllinois | $41,900 | +$29,700 | $12,200 | 71% | Read guide |
 MEMaine | $49,300 | +$35,000 | $14,300 | 71% | Read guide |
 RIRhode Island | $53,700 | +$38,100 | $15,600 | 71% | Read guide |
 VTVermont | $48,400 | +$34,400 | $14,000 | 71% | Read guide |
 CTConnecticut | $57,200 | +$34,900 | $22,300 | 61% | Read guide |
 MAMassachusetts | $58,100 | +$34,300 | $23,800 | 59% | Read guide |
 NJNew Jersey | $56,300 | +$33,200 | $23,100 | 59% | Read guide |
 NYNew York | $61,600 | +$34,500 | $27,100 | 56% | Read guide |
 CACalifornia | $61,600 | +$32,000 | $29,600 | 52% | Read guide |
 HIHawaii | $68,300 | +$35,500 | $32,800 | 52% | Read guide |
All-50 main atlas
Kitchen cost by state — every state
The full sortable atlas with cost-index, low, high, and mid for all 50 states.
Open the main atlas
First-time buyer atlas
Cheapest states for mid-grade kitchen remodels
Same data, framed for first-time buyers: which states deliver mid-grade floors below the national midpoint.
See the cheapest ranking
What's the ROI on a new kitchen in 2026?
The 2026 national average ROI for a mid-grade kitchen remodel is 73% at resale — for every $1.00 spent on new floors, the seller recoups about $0.73 when the home sells. Top-5 best-ROI states: North Carolina (85%), Georgia (84%), Tennessee (84%), Florida (82%), South Carolina (82%). These are hot Sunbelt growth markets where buyers actively reward turn-key listings and days-on-market is short enough that kitchen remodelings compound less carrying cost.
Which states have the lowest kitchen ROI?
Five states with the softest kitchen ROI in 2026: California (52%), Hawaii (52%), New York (56%), Massachusetts (59%), New Jersey (59%). These markets have slower resale velocity and less buyer willingness to pay a premium for new floors specifically — a kitchen is still a positive ROI move, just a smaller multiplier than in growth markets.
Does a new kitchen always pay back at sale?
No kitchen remodeling fully recoups at sale in any US state in 2026 — the best states return 73-75%, the worst around 58-60%. Kitchens are rarely about pure ROI in saturated markets; it's about reducing days-on-market and unlocking competing buyer offers. The right way to think about it: a $40K kitchen install that returns $9K isn't a $5K "loss" — it's a $5K cost to make the home sell 2-4 weeks faster and at the top of its price band rather than the middle.
Which kitchen scope delivers the best ROI?
Mid-tier semi-custom cabinets paired with quartz countertops and a new mid-range appliance package is the highest-ROI kitchen combo across nearly every state. Custom cabinets add 4-6 percentage points of ROI over semi-custom in high-end markets (CA, NY, MA, CT), but add nothing in mid-cost markets — buyers can't tell the difference and you've paid 50% more for the cabinet boxes. Pro-grade appliances (Wolf / Sub-Zero) have the lowest incremental ROI of any kitchen spend (typically 35-45% recoup) outside of $1.5M+ homes.
When is the best time to remodel before selling?
2-4 months before listing. That's enough time for any installation odors and dust to clear, the cabinets to settle through their first humidity cycle, and the appliance manufacturer warranties to be active for buyers, but not so far in advance that the kitchen shows daily-use wear before the listing photos are shot. Sellers who remodel 12+ months before listing typically see ROI 5-10 percentage points lower than the table above suggests, because the upgrade no longer reads as "brand new" to buyers.