What Is a CBC Blood Test? What It Measures and What It Costs

This page explains what the test measures and where to buy it. It does not explain what your numbers mean: reference ranges differ from lab to lab, and reading a result is a clinician's job. For every service ranked, see the best blood tests page; to see which plans include each CBC marker, use our biomarker comparison.

What it measures

A CBC looks at three kinds of cells: red cells, white cells and platelets. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute calls it "one of the most common blood tests" and notes that "It is often done as part of a routine checkup" (NHLBI).

What "with differential" adds

A plain CBC reports white cells as one total. MedlinePlus puts it this way: "A CBC test measures the total number of white cells in your blood" (MedlinePlus). The differential splits that total into five types, each with its own job, as MedlinePlus describes them:

• Neutrophils: "Neutrophils are the most common type of white blood cell" (MedlinePlus).
• Lymphocytes: these "include two main types of white blood cells: B cells and T cells" (MedlinePlus).
• Monocytes: they "kill bacteria, viruses, and other germs that may make you sick" (MedlinePlus).
• Eosinophils: they "defend against parasites and infections" (MedlinePlus).
• Basophils: they "release enzymes during allergic reactions and asthma attacks" (MedlinePlus).

Labcorp's version also reports immature granulocytes, "White blood cells in an early stage of development which are not usually present in significant amounts in the blood" (Labcorp OnDemand). Labs differ slightly in which extra lines they print, so two CBC reports from two labs may not line up row for row.

What a CBC does not cover

A CBC counts cells. It does not check blood sugar, cholesterol, liver enzymes or kidney markers. Labcorp's own FAQ says that "to check your liver and kidney function, we recommend the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) test" (Labcorp OnDemand). Our CMP guide covers that test, and most people who order a CBC add one in the same visit.

Where to get it and what it costs

Every store below sells a CBC with differential on its own, with a physician order included, and sends you to a Quest or Labcorp patient center for the draw. The table lists each store's price, cheapest first, the fee it adds per order, and the memberships and panels that include a CBC:

List prices from each store's own page. Memberships and panels that include it: Function Health, Superpower, Empirical Health, InsideTracker, Lifeforce, Marek Health, Labs by Hims, Maximus, Everlywell, Quest, Labcorp OnDemand, Ulta Lab Tests.

Three things decide what you actually pay:

• The per-order fee often costs more than the test. On list price, Mito Health and Marek Diagnostics are the lowest, but both add a lab draw fee, so on a single CBC the fee is most of the bill. Add the other tests you want to the same order and the fee is paid once.
• Sales come and go. Labcorp OnDemand was running a sale on select tests when we checked; the table shows regular prices so stores stay comparable.
• Your state decides whether you can buy at all. Lab-test stores do not sell in New York, New Jersey or Rhode Island; our guide to ordering your own blood test explains the rules.

If you want a CBC as part of a broad yearly panel, most broad memberships include one. Function Health costs $365 a year and measures 99 markers; Superpower costs $199. Our lab order price page ranks one-time panels by cost per measured marker, and our guide to blood test cost without insurance prices a CBC next to six other common tests at six stores.

Already have your results?

LifeFrom, a sister app from the team behind this site, can keep your results in one place and explain them in plain language (LifeFrom). It is our own product, so weigh that when you read this. For what a specific number means for you, ask the clinician who ordered the test or your own doctor.