How we rank junk removal companies
"Best match" puts nearby, well-reviewed companies first: distance to you, the Google rating weighted by how many reviews it rests on, and a bonus for companies that publish their prices. Up to 3 sponsored companies can appear above the list, always labeled "Sponsored".
Which companies are included
Every company whose service area covers the place you searched. By default that is 25 miles from the company's Google listing (40 miles in some rural areas); companies that list their service cities on their website also appear in those cities. Closed listings, likely spam and duplicate pins for the same company are removed. Dumpster-rental-only companies are hidden until you switch on "Show dumpster rentals".
Best match (the default order)
- Google rating, adjusted for review count. A rating built on 3 reviews is less certain than one built on 300, so every rating starts from a neutral 4.3 and moves toward the company's real rating as reviews add up (a Bayesian average over 10 reviews). The result is then nudged up by the logarithm of the review count.
- Distance. Each mile between you and the company's base counts against it.
- Published prices. Companies that publish prices on their own website get a bonus, because you can compare them before calling.
- Claimed profiles. A small bonus for companies that have claimed and checked their listing.
- Dumpster rental only. Moved down (and hidden by default), because they don't haul junk away for you.
Other sort orders
Distance sorts by miles only. Rating sorts by Google rating, with companies under 5 reviews after the rest. Most reviews sorts by review count. Lowest published minimum sorts by the lowest minimum or single-item price a company publishes; companies without published prices come last.
Sponsored listings
Companies can pay for a sponsored spot in the cities they serve. Sponsored companies appear above the regular list, at most 3 per city, and always carry a "Sponsored" label. When more companies are eligible, they rotate. Sponsorship never changes the regular order, ratings, review counts or prices shown. Details for companies: For junk removal companies.
Prices
Prices are shown exactly as each company publishes them on its own website, with a link to the page and the month we checked it. We don't estimate or average prices for a single company. City price tables summarize published prices only where at least 3 companies publish them.
Questions
Can a company pay to rank higher?
Only through a sponsored spot, which is labeled "Sponsored" wherever it appears. At most 3 sponsored companies are shown per city. Payment never changes a company's position in the regular list, its rating or its review count.
Why is a company with fewer reviews above one with more?
Distance counts for a lot: a 4.9-rated company 4 miles away usually outranks a 5.0-rated one 25 miles away, even with ten times the reviews. Review count matters, but on a logarithmic scale, so going from 10 to 100 reviews helps far more than going from 1,000 to 10,000.
Where do the ratings come from?
Each company's Google rating and review count, linked to its Google listing and checked on the date shown on the page. We don't collect our own reviews yet and never copy review text.