Chain-link fence cost in Washington

What construction laborers and the other trades earn in Washington

Washington's labor line is priced from 2 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 1.22 times the national level.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 60%) the local median is $27.75 an hour, which is 22% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.56 and $34.69 an hour. BLS counts 25,060 of them working in the state, 70.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.

Carpenters (47-2031), 40% of the weighting: a median of $35.67 an hour, 22% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $29.15 and $44.55 an hour. About 26,960 work in the state. That is 75.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for construction laborers ($34.69 an hour) would add about $430 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($22.56) would take off about $320. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 3,550,970 jobs across Washington (May 2025), which is 2.3% of US employment.

Weather windows across Washington

Weather decides when exterior installation can happen, and Washington is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.

Seattle has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Washington at 12 months; Kennewick has the shortest at 8 (February through June and September through November). Rainfall runs from 8 inches a year in Kennewick to 57 inches in Bremerton.

We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.

Extras that change the Washington total

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.13 for Washington, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.22) and goods price index (1.04). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Other Washington jobs that often go with chain-link fence

Each project weights the trades differently, so Washington's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, gravel driveway is +17% and vinyl fence +8%.

Basic, standard or premium: Washington prices

Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from backyard (100 linear ft) to full lot (300 linear ft).

Washington against its neighbors

Washington ranks 7 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for chain-link fence, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $5,300 and the cheapest Arkansas at $3,250, both for 150 linear ft at the midpoint. Washington sits at $4,450. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.

Why two Washington quotes can differ

• Height

  A 4-ft fence runs $10-$20 per linear foot; 6- to 8-ft backyard fences run $15-$40+ (HomeGuide).

• Coating

  Black or green vinyl-coated mesh costs more than galvanized.

• 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.

Which Washington city is cheapest for chain-link fence?

1 of the 7 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,450, and the top-to-bottom gap is 13%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.