Chain-link fence cost in St. Louis, MO
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (150 linear ft)
- $1,700 – $7,300
- Per linear ft
- $11 – $48
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +17%
- US $3,850
- Rank of 300 metros
- #20
- 1 = most expensive
St. Louis homeowners pay roughly $1,700 to $7,300 to install a chain-link fence at 150 linear ft, or $11 to $48 per linear ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, St. Louis is 17% higher. Construction laborers earn a median of $31.01 an hour in the St. Louis area, 37% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 150 linear ft in St. Louis, MO, standard level
$3,400 to $5,650
About $22 to $37 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 66% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,200 | $1,650 |
| Labor | $2,100 | $3,900 |
| Permits and fees | $70 | $110 |
| Total | $3,400 | $5,650 |
Cost breakdown for 150 linear ft in St. Louis, MO
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $900 | $1,400 | $1,950 | 32% |
| Labor | $770 | $3,000 | $5,200 | 66% |
| Permits and fees | $40 | $90 | $140 | 2% |
| Total | $1,700 | $4,500 | $7,300 | 100% |
What is behind the St. Louis number
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 2 trades: construction laborers at 60%, carpenters at 40%. Weighted together, St. Louis wages are 1.29 times the national level. Labor makes up about 66% of the midpoint estimate (60% at national prices).
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the St. Louis metro is 100.0 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 150 linear ft comes to $1,400, compared with $1,450 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (95.1) and land at $40 to $140.
Is St. Louis cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, all are cheaper than St. Louis. Columbia is the lowest at about $3,950 (midpoint, 150 linear ft), 120 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MOthis page | $1,700 – $7,300 | $4,500 | |
| Springfield, IL85 miles | $1,650 – $7,200 | $4,400 | −2% |
| Jefferson City, MO95 miles | $1,550 – $6,500 | $4,000 | −11% |
| Columbia, MO120 miles | $1,550 – $6,400 | $3,950 | −12% |
| Bloomington, IL145 miles | $1,650 – $7,100 | $4,400 | −3% |
| Peoria, IL150 miles | $1,650 – $7,200 | $4,450 | −2% |
| Missouri (statewide) | $1,600 – $6,550 | $4,050 | −10% |
| United States | $1,550 – $6,150 | $3,850 | −15% |
Across 300 US metros, St. Louis comes in at #20 from the top. The priciest is Honolulu, HI at $5,450; the cheapest is Brownsville, TX at $3,000 (midpoints, 150 linear ft). Statewide, St. Louis is 11% above the Missouri figure.
Other Missouri metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO | 1,096,110 jobs | $1,500 – $6,250 | $3,850 | −14% |
| Springfield, MO | 223,030 jobs | $1,450 – $5,850 | $3,650 | −19% |
| Columbia, MO | 107,680 jobs | $1,550 – $6,400 | $3,950 | −12% |
| Joplin, MO | 87,190 jobs | $1,450 – $5,850 | $3,650 | −19% |
| Jefferson City, MO | 80,220 jobs | $1,550 – $6,500 | $4,000 | −11% |
Cities with a workforce like St. Louis's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is St. Louis against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore, MD | 1,356,680 jobs | $1,550 – $6,200 | $3,900 | −14% |
| Austin, TX | 1,293,690 jobs | $1,400 – $5,600 | $3,500 | −22% |
| Charlotte, NC | 1,358,370 jobs | $1,450 – $5,750 | $3,600 | −20% |
| Portland, OR | 1,208,410 jobs | $1,700 – $7,000 | $4,350 | −4% |
Specs and site conditions that change a St. Louis bid
Gates
Gates are $80-$1,000+ before installation. Rolling or slide gates are the expensive end.
Survey
A land survey ($300-$900) is worth it before you put a fence near a boundary.
Height
A 4-ft fence runs $10-$20 per linear foot; 6- to 8-ft backyard fences run $15-$40+ (HomeGuide).
Related projects, priced for St. Louis
Because every project leans on different trades, St. Louis's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, gravel driveway runs +18% and vinyl fence +6%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood fence | 150 linear ft | $3,400 – $8,400 | +10% |
| Vinyl fence | 150 linear ft | $4,750 – $9,750 | +6% |
| Aluminum fence | 150 linear ft | $4,150 – $12,300 | +8% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $3,000 – $12,000 | +18% |
When to schedule chain-link fence in St. Louis
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for St Louis Sci Ctr (in the city). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
February through June and August through December are the stretches where exterior installation runs into the fewest weather problems in St. Louis (10 of 12 months). January has an average daytime high under 45°F; July has an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
In January the average high stays below 45°F. Sealants, adhesives and some materials, such as vinyl, are harder to install well in the cold, and short daylight cuts the working day.
St. Louis gets about 44 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are April, May and June (4.9 inches in May). Inside the workable window, February and December are the driest, at 2.3 and 2.6 inches. The station averages about 47 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 25 | 2.7 | Cold |
| Feb | 46 | 28 | 2.3 | Workable |
| Mar | 56 | 38 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 68 | 48 | 4.8 | Workable |
| May | 77 | 59 | 4.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 86 | 67 | 4.7 | Workable |
| Jul | 90 | 72 | 4.2 | Hot |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Sep | 82 | 62 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Oct | 70 | 50 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Nov | 56 | 39 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Dec | 45 | 30 | 2.6 | Workable |
St. Louis: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for St. Louis wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.
Basic
$1,700 to $3,950
4-ft galvanized, front yard
Standard
$3,400 to $5,650
6-ft galvanized backyard fence
Premium
$5,050 to $7,300
Vinyl-coated, 8 ft, extra gates
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| backyard (100 linear ft) | $1,150 – $2,650 | $2,300 – $3,800 | $3,400 – $4,950 |
| 150 ft (150 linear ft) | $1,700 – $3,950 | $3,400 – $5,650 | $5,050 – $7,300 |
| 200 ft (200 linear ft) | $2,250 – $5,250 | $4,500 – $7,500 | $6,750 – $9,700 |
| full lot (300 linear ft) | $3,400 – $7,850 | $6,700 – $11,200 | $10,000 – $14,500 |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 2 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for St. Louis is 1.29 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 60% of the weighting: a median of $31.01 an hour, 37% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $23.00 and $39.22 an hour. About 8,670 work in the metro. That is 64.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 40%) the local median is $34.13 an hour, which is 17% above the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $25.32 and $44.28 an hour. BLS counts 7,210 of them working in the area, 53.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($39.22 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $510. At the 25th percentile ($23.00) it shrinks by about $490. The total moves by 11.2% or 10.9%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 1,341,320 jobs in the St. Louis area. That makes it the 23rd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.86% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 60% | $23.00 | $31.01 | $39.22 | $22.66 | 1.37 | metro |
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 40% | $25.32 | $34.13 | $44.28 | $29.12 | 1.17 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.29 | |||||
Extras that change the St. Louis total
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to St. Louis by the average of the local wage index (1.29) and goods index (1.00), a factor of 1.14. Tick any of them in the estimator above to add them to your total. Treat these as planning figures: an add-on touches different trades than the main job, so the scaling is an approximation.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add one gate (flat) | $90 – $1,150 |
Get 3 local quotes
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Chain-link fence in St. Louis: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a chain-link fence in St. Louis?
For 150 linear ft, expect $1,700 to $7,300 in the St. Louis area. A standard-spec job lands at $3,400 to $5,650. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for chain-link fence in St. Louis?
About $11 to $48 per linear ft for materials and labor, plus $40 to $140 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $10 to $40.
+Is chain-link fence cheaper in St. Louis or Springfield?
Springfield is 85 miles away. The midpoint for 150 linear ft there is $4,400, which is 2% less than St. Louis ($4,500). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in St. Louis?
About 66% at the midpoint, or $3,000 out of $4,500. Materials are 32% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 60%.
+What would 200 ft (200 linear ft) cost in St. Louis?
$2,250 to $9,700. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does chain-link fence need a permit in St. Louis?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $40 to $140 for fees in the St. Louis area (our national range of $40 to $150 scaled by the local price level).
+Is St. Louis expensive for chain-link fence compared with the rest of Missouri?
St. Louis is 11% above the Missouri statewide estimate ($4,050 at the midpoint). We cover 6 metros in Missouri; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in St. Louis?
The BLS median is $31.01 an hour in the St. Louis area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.00 to $39.22.
+What do basic and premium chain-link fence work cost in St. Louis?
For 150 linear ft, basic work runs $1,700 to $3,950 and premium work $5,050 to $7,300. Basic means: 4-ft galvanized, front yard. Premium means: vinyl-coated, 8 ft, extra gates.
+When is the best time to install a chain-link fence in St. Louis?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through June and August through December. February and December are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
+What does "add one gate" add in St. Louis?
$90 to $1,150, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Chain-link fence near St. Louis
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a Chain-Link Fence Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- Visual Fence Pro: Chain Link Fence Cost & Pricing Guide for Contractors (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = Visual Fence Pro's $6-$13 per foot for residential galvanized 4-6 ft fence (taller or vinyl-coated fence costs more).