01 / 06 · United States · Google Ads market data
How much does Google Ads cost in the United States?
Across 41 service industries in the United States, the median Google Ads suggested bid is about US$11.84 a click (sampled 24 October 2026). Half of the industries fall between US$6.89 and US$17.51 a click. The cheapest industry is driving schools at about US$2.16; the most expensive is insurance brokers at about US$64.05.
Suggested bids are a market reference, not prices paid in auctions. All figures in US dollars.
- Median across 41 industries
- US$11.84
- Middle half of industries
- US$6.89–17.51
- Cheapest · Driving schools
- US$2.16
- Most expensive · Insurance brokers
- US$64.05
Other countries: New Zealand · All countries
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Cost per click by industry, United States 2026
Ranked from most to least expensive. The typical range leaves out the most and least expensive terms and shows the price band of the middle half of common commercial keywords in each industry.
| Industry | Median | Typical CPC range | Searches / mo | Most-searched term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance brokers | US$64.05 | US$50.67 – US$84.25 | ~398,100 | disability insurance · US$14.05 |
| IT & web services | US$55.58 | US$29.97 – US$86.51 | ~84,380 | seo services · US$45.88 |
| Plumbing | US$37.60 | US$34.64 – US$53.22 | ~1,017,880 | plumber near me · US$39.28 |
| Pest control | US$26.80 | US$15.02 – US$28.34 | ~306,700 | pest control near me · US$31.29 |
| Heating & air conditioning | US$26.39 | US$12.23 – US$33.67 | ~104,850 | hvac repair · US$35.41 |
| Roofing | US$26.10 | US$20.76 – US$34.44 | ~369,300 | roofing contractor · US$22.69 |
| Legal services | US$23.52 | US$16.61 – US$32.49 | ~841,500 | family lawyer · US$34.64 |
| Financial advice | US$23.22 | US$14.10 – US$31.30 | ~525,000 | financial advisor · US$34.15 |
| Tutoring | US$21.20 | US$18.47 – US$28.39 | ~49,480 | math tutor · US$21.74 |
| Electrical | US$20.61 | US$15.68 – US$23.74 | ~423,780 | electrician near me · US$22.65 |
| Solar | US$17.51 | US$9.39 – US$44.38 | ~181,960 | solar panels for home · US$9.79 |
| Home security | US$16.65 | US$11.91 – US$19.01 | ~216,880 | home security systems · US$45.42 |
| Moving services | US$16.17 | US$14.56 – US$24.51 | ~483,420 | movers near me · US$27.02 |
| Glass & windows | US$15.42 | US$14.96 – US$16.74 | ~66,100 | window glass replacement · US$15.18 |
| Locksmith | US$15.38 | US$8.76 – US$17.81 | ~722,600 | locksmith near me · US$15.09 |
| Mortgage brokers | US$15.05 | US$12.91 – US$24.22 | ~650,400 | mortgage rates · US$4.90 |
| Dental | US$14.71 | US$8.87 – US$15.71 | ~2,246,200 | dentist near me · US$14.71 |
| Building & renovation | US$13.81 | US$11.03 – US$15.39 | ~376,100 | general contractor · US$10.24 |
| Accounting | US$12.49 | US$10.27 – US$33.79 | ~77,100 | accountant near me · US$10.91 |
| Painting | US$12.20 | US$10.21 – US$15.57 | ~142,000 | painter near me · US$10.98 |
| Appliance repair | US$11.84 | US$10.90 – US$13.59 | ~481,400 | washing machine repair · US$12.64 |
| Concrete & paving | US$11.47 | US$9.33 – US$13.03 | ~133,180 | concrete contractors · US$10.41 |
| Real estate | US$10.90 | US$8.64 – US$11.20 | ~532,460 | real estate agent · US$11.20 |
| Cleaning services | US$10.87 | US$8.32 – US$12.43 | ~588,800 | carpet cleaning · US$7.50 |
| Insulation | US$10.82 | US$3.55 – US$19.69 | ~90,820 | attic insulation · US$11.11 |
| Tree services | US$9.58 | US$7.09 – US$13.84 | ~156,100 | stump grinding · US$3.79 |
| Childcare | US$9.56 | US$8.74 – US$11.92 | ~232,420 | preschool near me · US$8.74 |
| Architects | US$9.29 | US$5.86 – US$12.69 | ~138,140 | house plans · US$1.25 |
| Recruitment | US$8.14 | US$4.21 – US$10.93 | ~296,000 | staffing agency · US$3.45 |
| Landscaping | US$7.94 | US$6.33 – US$9.24 | ~108,500 | landscaping services · US$9.34 |
| Photography | US$6.89 | US$3.37 – US$9.43 | ~67,390 | wedding photographer · US$5.24 |
| Veterinary | US$6.72 | US$5.30 – US$8.11 | ~1,208,500 | vet near me · US$9.61 |
| Fencing | US$5.84 | US$4.97 – US$11.39 | ~47,750 | fence installation · US$15.32 |
| Catering | US$5.54 | US$3.78 – US$12.10 | ~47,600 | wedding catering · US$3.56 |
| Auto repair | US$5.34 | US$4.58 – US$6.39 | ~666,800 | car battery replacement · US$4.34 |
| Physical therapy | US$5.30 | US$4.75 – US$6.41 | ~818,100 | physical therapy near me · US$6.61 |
| Immigration consultants | US$5.01 | US$3.45 – US$7.50 | ~216,480 | h1b visa · US$2.39 |
| Computer repair | US$4.18 | US$4.10 – US$9.43 | ~620,300 | computer repair near me · US$4.10 |
| Gyms & fitness | US$3.68 | US$2.84 – US$5.52 | ~343,300 | gym membership · US$5.96 |
| Scaffolding | US$2.22 | US$1.24 – US$4.55 | ~33,160 | scaffolding rental · US$1.92 |
| Driving schools | US$2.16 | US$1.05 – US$2.83 | ~153,520 | defensive driving course · US$4.82 |
03 / 06
How these numbers were collected
- 01
Source: Google Ads historical market data, aggregated via a third-party data service. Prices are suggested bids, not prices paid in auctions. Sampled 24 October 2026 for the United States market.
- 02
Each industry is sampled on six common commercial search terms, such as "plumber near me". Prices come from the 5 to 6 terms per industry that returned a suggested bid. The typical range runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile of those prices; the median is the midpoint.
- 03
The headline figures rank all 41 industries by their median price. Searches are the total monthly searches in the United States across all sampled terms, including terms without a suggested bid.
04 / 06
What a month of Google Ads costs
The monthly bill has two parts. Ad spend is the number of clicks multiplied by the price per click, paid directly to Google from the business’s own account. The budget is a ceiling the business sets, not a target to spend.
Management is a separate cost. Mmedia charges a flat software fee set by the number of advertising platforms, US$299 a month for one, and never a percentage of ad spend.
05 / 06
Common questions
Will a business pay exactly these prices?
No. These are suggested bids, a market reference rather than what any one advertiser pays. The actual price of each click is set in an auction and depends on the search term, the competition at that moment, and how relevant the ad and landing page are. Actual prices can land above or below these figures.
How much budget is needed to start?
A practical starting point is about 10 clicks a day at the industry’s median price. For the median industry that is about US$3,600 a month.
Why do prices differ so much between industries?
Click prices are set by auction, so they rise where more advertisers compete for the same search, which usually happens where one customer is worth a lot. The most expensive clicks in this data are in insurance brokers, IT & web services and plumbing; the cheapest are in driving schools, scaffolding and gyms & fitness.
Founding Customer Program
Up to 5 US businesses a month run Mmedia for 90 days with no Mmedia management fee. You pay only your advertising spend, directly to Google or Meta.
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