Methodology
Where every number on Compare Junk Removal comes from, how we check it, and how to cite it. Data as of November 4, 2026: 34,854 junk removal companies and 5,866 published prices from 1,829 of them.
Sources
- Companies, phone numbers, hours, Google rating and review count: each company's Google Maps listing. We show the rating and review count only, linked to the listing; we never copy review text or photos.
- Prices and services: each company's own website, recorded exactly as published with the page address and the date checked. Claimed companies can set their own prices; those are labelled "from the company".
- City bulk-trash rules: the city's own .gov page, linked on every city page with the date checked.
- Landfills, transfer stations and donation drop-offs: public facility listings, each with its source.
- Cities, ZIP codes and metro areas: US Census Bureau places, ZIP code areas and metropolitan statistical areas.
How prices are checked
- Code finds candidate pricing pages and dollar amounts near junk removal words on each company's site.
- An AI reviewer reads each candidate page and keeps only real prices (not coupons, dumpster rentals or "costs range from" marketing copy), recording the item, the unit ("from", per item, flat) and the exact quote.
- A person audits a random sample against the live pages before each release.
Statistics use one price per company per item (its lowest published price), so a company with many prices can't skew a median. "From" prices are starting prices. Per-cubic-yard prices are left out because too few companies publish them. Medians and the middle 50% need at least 3 companies.
Bulk-trash summaries
The bulk-pickup notes on city pages (cost, limits, schedule, how to request) are AI-assisted summaries of the city's own page, which is linked next to every summary with the date we checked it. City rules change; confirm with the city before you set things out.
Which companies serve a place
A company serves a place when the place is within its service radius (25 miles from its Google listing by default) or the company lists the city on its website. Dumpster-rental-only companies are listed separately. Closed listings, likely spam and duplicate pins for the same company are removed. Ranking is explained on How we rank.
Updates
Companies, ratings and hours are refreshed in a full sweep every quarter, which also adds new companies and removes closed ones. Prices are re-checked monthly. Every page shows the date of the data it uses. Current prices were checked November 4, 2026.
Corrections
Email hello@comparejunkremoval.com with the page link and what's wrong; we fix confirmed errors within 5 business days. Companies can claim their listing to update it themselves, or ask us to remove it.
How to cite
Cite the page and its data date, for example: “Compare Junk Removal Price Index, Nov 2026. Compare Junk Removal, https://comparejunkremoval.com/cost”. Price tables can be downloaded as CSV (US table, and on each metro price page) and reused under CC BY 4.0 with that credit and a link.
Questions
Do you make up or estimate prices?
No. Every price is one a company publishes on its own website (or, for a claimed listing, enters itself). We don't estimate a company's price, and city or metro medians are only shown when at least 3 companies publish the same kind of price.
Why does a company's Google rating differ from what I see on Google?
Ratings change daily. We show the rating and review count from the date on the page and link to the Google listing, where the current number is.
How do I report a mistake?
Email hello@comparejunkremoval.com with the page link. Companies can also claim their listing and fix their own details.