2-year job category analysis 
All 50 states + D.C.
Executive summary
KeyMe Locksmiths analyzed more than 117,000 car key transactions completed over the past twelve months, spanning
205 metro markets (DMAs) nationwide, to identify where Americans pay the most, and the least, for a replacement car
key.
The average transaction nationwide costs $71.62, and this twelve-month view shows busier markets tend to skew slightly
more expensive rather than cheaper: eight of the ten highest-volume metro areas in the country price above the national
average. The relationship is a modest one, not a hard rule, but it points in a clear direction.
Key Findings
Marquette, Michigan is the most expensive reliable market for a car key averaging $86.80 per transaction among markets with at least 50 transactions — well above the national average.
Several mid-sized metro markets top the list including Syracuse ($83.34), Lansing ($83.09), and Watertown ($81.79), alongside major metros like Boston ($79.99) and Detroit ($79.92).
Quincy-Hannibal-Keokuk is the least expensive reliable market at $52.19 per transaction, with Clarksburg-Weston, Parkersburg, Casper-Riverton, and Fairbanks rounding out the bottom five.
Atlanta is the single highest-volume market in the country with 4,417 transactions, and prices below the national average at $70.07 — making it more the exception than the rule among high-volume markets.
Busier markets tend to run slightly more expensive, not cheaper. Eight of the ten highest-volume metro areas, including Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C., price above the national average.
“The busiest markets in the country aren't discounting for volume. If anything, they're pricing slightly ahead of everywhere else, and that's a pattern that holds up across a full year of transactions.”
KeyMe Locksmiths Analyst
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Explore the Complete 6-Page Analysis
The complete 6-page analysis includes city and regional comparisons, key pricing trends, consumer insights, FAQs, and a detailed methodology.
