Our Data & Methodology
Every price on this site comes from a single structured dataset, so the calculator, the guides, and the state tables can never contradict each other. Here's how that dataset is built and maintained.
Sources
- Pricing: published cost data from home-services marketplaces and cost-guide publishers — HomeAdvisor, Angi, HomeGuide, This Old House, LawnStarter, Lawn Love, Fixr, and Thumbtack's pro-quoted project data — cross-checked against tree care companies' published rate pages and national equipment-rental chains (stump grinders, cranes, chippers).
- Rules and safety: primary sources only — municipal tree ordinances, the Insurance Information Institute and major insurers for coverage questions, state DNR and university extension services (oak wilt windows, chainsaw safety), and OSHA tree-work guidance.
Where publishers disagree, we reconcile toward the majority view and widen the range rather than cherry-pick a single source. We reconcile these into base price ranges for four tree size classes, then model the factors that professionals themselves price on: species, obstacles, access, and region. State-level figures are modeled from a labor-cost index and are the least precise numbers on the site — treat them as relative, not exact.
Adjustment factors
Current values, applied multiplicatively to the base range:
| Factor | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Dense hardwood (oak) | +15% |
| Dead / storm-damaged tree | +25% (published range: +10–50% by decay) |
| Near structures | +25% |
| Near power lines | +40% |
| Crane required | +60% |
| Tight equipment access | +20% |
| State cost index | 0.85× (Mississippi) to 1.30× (Hawaii) |
Update schedule
The dataset is reviewed monthly and re-based when source pricing shifts. Current dataset version: 2026-07. Every page displays the dataset date it was built from.
What our numbers are — and aren't
Our figures are budgeting estimates, not quotes. Real prices depend on details no dataset can see: the exact lean of the trunk, rot you can't spot from the ground, how far the chip truck can park. Use our numbers to know what's reasonable — then get written quotes before hiring anyone.
Independence
Stump & Limb is not a tree service and accepts no payment to alter published figures. The site is funded by referral fees when visitors request quotes; those fees never change the price you pay.