Cost method
Deck cost per square foot, and how to test a quote against it
A 16×20 deck runs about $57 a square foot in wood and $78 in composite, according to the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report (www.costvsvalue.com).
How to use this page
Calculate area and framing quantities, then compare like-for-like scopes. A composite surface quote is meaningless if the framing and guard system are unspecified.
A published estimate
How much does a deck cost per square foot?
About $57 a square foot for pressure-treated wood and $78 for composite, on national average. The Cost vs. Value Report prices one defined deck, 16 by 20 feet, at $18,263 in wood and $25,096 in composite. The figures per square foot are ours: each total divided by the deck's 320 square feet, with its stairs, railing, bench and planter folded in.
Of the cities whose permit rules this site checks, the report prices three; San Diego is not among its markets. It puts the wood deck at $14,807 in Austin, $16,118 in Houston and $18,419 in Los Angeles, about $46, $50 and $58 a square foot. The composite deck comes to $22,613, $24,412 and $26,872, about $71, $76 and $84.
What the figure is, and is not
It is an estimate for one scope, not a price collected from contractors. The report sets a national baseline from federal price indexes and installers' wages, then each market's figure from Verisk's XactRemodel cost data. Its editors caution that small changes in size, scope or finish can move a price a long way, and that for a particular address a local remodeler's estimate is the better guide. Use it to test whether a quote for the same deck is in range, not as the price of yours.
The deck behind the figures is 16 by 20 feet, framed with pressure-treated joists on 4×4 posts anchored to concrete piers, with decking laid in a straight pattern, a built-in bench and planter, three steps to grade and a full railing. The wood deck uses pressure-treated boards and railing; the composite deck uses composite boards with a matching composite railing.
© 2025 Zonda Media, a Delaware Corporation. Complete data from the Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.
Price it with your own numbers
The deck calculator counts the joists and the linear feet of decking for your plan and multiplies them by the prices you enter; enter a quote's price per square foot instead and it totals the installed job. Beams, posts, footings, hardware, railing and stairs are not in the count, which is why they belong on the quote as their own lines.
Open the deck calculatorWhat the labor side earns
| Percentile | U.S. | California | Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $23.32 | $28.72 | $21.48 |
| Median | $29.12 | $36.50 | $23.51 |
| 75th percentile | $36.94 | $46.07 | $27.78 |
| Percentile | U.S. | California | Texas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $18.57 | $23.15 | $17.66 |
| Median | $22.66 | $28.98 | $19.53 |
| 75th percentile | $28.72 | $37.75 | $22.57 |
Employees’ wages, before benefits (30.5% of construction compensation in June 2026) and overtime. A contractor’s quote adds overhead and margin.
What moves the price
Structure before surface
Footings, beams, joists, ledger or freestanding support and stairs form the structural scope. Decking and fascia sit on top of that system.
Height and geometry
Elevated work adds guards, stairs and more demanding access. Multi-level shapes produce more edges and labor than the same square footage in a rectangle.
Finish and lifecycle
Pressure-treated lumber, cedar and composite move upfront cost and maintenance in different directions. Fastener and railing systems also matter.
How to compare real quotes
- Compare structural framing, surface and railing as separate lines
- Confirm stairs, demolition, permits and engineering are included or excluded
- Divide each installed total by the same deck area only after the lines match
- Use area only as a first-pass normalization metric
From research to quotes
Give every bidder the same scope.
Set the size, height above grade and decking, and say whether the deck is attached or has stairs. The brief adds joist lines and decking courses, and asks each bidder to split footings, framing, decking, railing and stairs on the quote. No contact details needed; sending it on is optional.
Create deck briefUse the dimensions, not a guess
Related field notes
- Deck Railing Height, Stair Rules and Baluster Spacing
- Fire Pit Rules: Distance From the House, Permits and Open Burning
- How a Building Permit Works: Final Inspection, Expiry and Owner-Builders
- Deck Joist and Beam Span Tables, by Lumber Size
- Deck Footing Size and Post Height Tables
- Building Permit Cost and Time: Fees in Austin and Los Angeles