GallonGaugeGallons, first-hour rating and GPM — the three numbers that decide it.

How much does a water heater replacement cost in Duluth, MN?

A 40-gallon gas water heater replacement in Duluth, MN
$1,732
one bathroom, or two people · typical range $1,154 – $2,519
Typical totalinstalled, 40 gallon gas$1,732
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$1,154 – $2,519
Labor portion45% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$779
Material portion55% — bought at national prices$952
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters pay near Duluthabout $39/hr · Duluth, MN-WI metro$80,110/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2152$72,170/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +11% against the U.S. mean+$82

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a 40-gallon gas water heater replacement is $1,650 installed — water heater replacement pricing published for 2026, unit plus installation. Labor is about 45% of that. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters near Duluth, MN average $80,110 a year against a U.S. mean of $72,170 — a factor of 1.11 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Duluth, MN-WI metro area, SOC 47-2152.
  • 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 heater, removal and disposal of the old one, new flex connectors, a drain pan, an expansion tank where code requires it, and labor.
  • What is not: a gas line upsize, new venting, an electrical circuit for an electric unit, and bringing an old install up to current code. These are the lines that turn a $1,732 quote into a $2,165 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 national average for the job.

a 40-gallon gas water heater replacement in Duluth, MN

$1,732 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $1,154 and $2,519.

That is $82 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 45% of this job is labor — $779 of the $1,732 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters near Duluth average $80,110 a year, against a U.S. mean of $72,170. That is a factor of 1.11, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Duluth, MN-WI metro area, SOC 47-2152.

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 $1,732 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 $1,154 – $2,519, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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