How much does it cost to replace 15 windows in Madison, WI?
| Typical total$836 per window | $12,542 |
|---|---|
| Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this | $7,525 – $23,412 |
| Labor portion35% of the job — this is the part that moves by city | $4,390 |
| Material portion65% — bought at national prices | $8,152 |
| Glaziers pay near Madisonabout $38/hr · Madison, WI metro | $79,320/yr |
| U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2121 | $59,720/yr |
| Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +32.8% against the U.S. mean | +$1,292 |
Notes
- Where the number comes from. The national price for a window replacement is $750 per window — replacement window pricing published for 2026, $450–$1,400 per window installed. Labor is about 35% of that. Glaziers near Madison, WI average $79,320 a year against a U.S. mean of $59,720 — a factor of 1.328 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Madison, WI metro area, SOC 47-2121.
- Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
- What is in the price: the window, removal of the old sash or unit, insulation and air sealing around the frame, interior and exterior trim where disturbed, and disposal.
- What is not: rot repair in the opening, structural changes to the size, full-frame replacement where an insert was quoted, and interior painting. These are the lines that turn a $12,542 quote into a $15,678 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
- Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.
a window replacement in Madison, WI
$12,542 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $7,525 and $23,412.
That is $1,292 more than the same job priced at the national average.
Why the city changes the number
About 35% of this job is labor — $4,390 of the $12,542 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.
Glaziers near Madison average $79,320 a year, against a U.S. mean of $59,720. That is a factor of 1.328, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Madison, WI metro area, SOC 47-2121.
What the quote should include
The lines that turn a quote into an invoice
Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $12,542 and something a quarter higher.
Use it as a bid check, not a quote
This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.
If a bid lands outside $7,525 – $23,412, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.
Nearby sizes
Read more
- Replacing Windows in Phases — Which Ones Go FirstContractors price whole-house jobs because they are efficient to run. For the homeowner, three or four windows a year is usually the better trade.
- Repair or Replace — Four Failures, and Only One Needs a New WindowThe most common reason people replace windows is fogging, and fogging is usually the cheapest of the four to fix without replacing anything.
- Do New Windows Pay for Themselves? — Not on Energy AloneThe energy case almost never closes. The comfort, noise and rot cases often do, and they are the honest reasons.
- What a Window Quote Should Actually Say — Eight LinesThree quotes that differ by forty percent usually differ because they are for three different jobs, and the paperwork does not say so.