Reference · updated September 2026
What a contractor lead actually costs, by trade
Ask this question anywhere in the lead-generation industry and the answer is that it varies by location, service type and competition. That is true, and it is also a way of not answering. Here are the numbers.
These are average costs per lead on Google Local Services Ads for the second quarter of 2026, across twenty-one trades. They come from $258,867 of real spend on campaigns run for US contractors, covering 4,459 leads — not estimates, and not a range wide enough to mean nothing.
Under $30 a lead
| Trade | Cost per lead | Leads for $75 |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile pet grooming | $17.89 | 4 |
| Garage floor coatings | $21.21 | 3 |
| Landscaping | $29.05 | 2 |
$30 to $45 a lead
| Trade | Cost per lead | Leads for $75 |
|---|---|---|
| House cleaning | $32.13 | 2 |
| Pressure washing | $33.03 | 2 |
| Junk removal | $33.14 | 2 |
| Painting | $33.30 | 2 |
| Carpet cleaning | $33.49 | 2 |
| Appliance repair | $34.35 | 2 |
| Commercial cleaning | $35.85 | 2 |
| Flooring | $37.42 | 2 |
| Tree services | $37.56 | 1 |
| Paving | $41.21 | 1 |
| Electrical | $43.20 | 1 |
Over $45 a lead
| Trade | Cost per lead | Leads for $75 |
|---|---|---|
| General contracting | $49.76 | 1 |
| HVAC | $50.21 | 1 |
| Window installation | $60.10 | 1 |
| Plumbing | $66.11 | 1 |
| Roofing | $101.15 | 0 |
| Remodeling | $103.99 | 0 |
| Damage restoration | $211.07 | 0 |
Google Local Services Ads, Q2 2026 — 4,459 leads across $258,867 of real US contractor spend. Published by 99 Calls. The third column is arithmetic, not a promise — it is simply how many leads at that price add up to $75.
What the number does not tell you
A cost per lead is a price, not a value. The two cheapest trades on this list are a good illustration: garage floor coatings at $21.21 is usually a one-day job in the low thousands, and landscaping at $29.05 is often a recurring customer who pays every two weeks for years. Both are priced as though they were a single transaction, because that is what the platform is selling.
The other thing a price hides is exclusivity. On most marketplaces the same lead is sold to several contractors at once, so the real cost of a job is the lead price divided by your win rate. Quote three and win one and a $66 plumbing lead has cost you nearly $200.
And every figure here is for a lead that has already been through a bidding platform. The homeowner who generated it usually asked their neighbors first — often hours earlier, in a local group, for nothing.
Where LeadHunter sits. A flat $75 a month, no per-lead charge, no cap, and the leads are yours alone. It watches the local groups you have already joined and your own Nextdoor feed, and it is read-only — it never posts, comments or messages anyone on your behalf. 7 days free, no credit card.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a contractor lead cost?
It depends heavily on the trade. On Google Local Services Ads in the second quarter of 2026, a landscaping lead averaged $29.05 while a roofing lead averaged $101.15 and a damage restoration lead averaged $211.07. Across all 21 trades measured, the median was around $37. Those figures come from $258,867 of real US contractor spend across 4,459 leads.
Why do roofing leads cost so much more than landscaping leads?
Because the job behind the lead is worth more. A roof replacement is a five-figure job, so every roofing company bids hard for the moment a homeowner decides they need one. A landscaping lead might be a one-time cleanup — though it can also turn into a recurring customer worth far more than the single job it was priced as.
Is a cheap lead a bad lead?
Not necessarily, and the two cheapest trades on this list show why. Garage floor coatings averaged $21.21 a lead for work that is usually a one-day job in the low thousands. Price per lead reflects how many companies are bidding, not how much the job is worth.
What does LeadHunter cost per lead?
Nothing per lead. LeadHunter USA is $75 a month flat, or $720 a year, and every lead it finds for your areas and job filters is included. The leads are yours alone — they are not sold to other contractors at the same time. There is a 7-day free trial and it does not require a credit card.
Where do these numbers come from?
Google Local Services Ads, Q2 2026 — 4,459 leads across $258,867 of real US contractor spend. They are published by 99 Calls and cover Google Local Services Ads, which is one channel among several — a shared lead from a marketplace, an exclusive lead from a broker, and a lead you generate yourself all price differently.
The trades we cover
Each page explains how work actually reaches that trade, and what being early is worth in it.