Data checked · source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Who we are
The honest part first
We do not install air conditioners. Nobody here has run a plumbing crew or dispatched a technician. Treating that as a secret would be the fastest way to waste your time.
What we do is narrower. We take cost data that already exists, most of it published by the US government and paid for by taxpayers, and turn it into something you can actually read. Then we show our work.
Who runs it
Mingo — sole operator, writing under that name. An independent one-person project based in South Korea. Reachable at min9net@naver.com. Emails are answered by a person.
Mingo is a pen name. It stays the same on every page here, and the inbox above reaches the person behind it. Business registration is in progress and will be listed here once issued.
Does it matter that we are not American?
For wage data, no. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the same file to everyone, and arithmetic does not have a nationality. You can check every figure against the source we link.
For judgement calls, it matters and we try to compensate. We publish the formula instead of the conclusion, so a contractor in Ohio who knows better than us can see exactly where we went wrong and tell us. Several of the numbers on this site will improve because someone does that.
What we can and cannot tell you
| We can | We cannot |
|---|---|
| What a trade's median wage was in your metro, and when | What a specific contractor will charge you |
| Roughly what that wage becomes on an invoice, and why | Whether a given quote is fair for your job |
| What a software vendor published as its price, on a date | What a sales rep will quote you |
| Which vendors publish no price at all | Whether a product is right for your business |
Why trust a page like this
Do not, on faith. Every claim carries a source link and a date, so you can check it in about a minute. When we get one wrong it goes on the corrections page with what changed and when.