French drain cost in Lake Charles, LA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $550 – $1,950
- Per linear ft
- $9.20 – $32.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −8%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #230
- 1 = most expensive
Lake Charles homeowners pay roughly $550 to $1,950 to install a French drain at 60 linear ft, or $9.20 to $32.50 per linear ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Lake Charles is 8% lower. Construction laborers earn a median of $21.75 an hour in the Lake Charles area, 4% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Lake Charles, LA, standard level
$970 to $1,500
About $16 to $25.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 51% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $500 | $780 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $970 | $1,500 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Lake Charles, LA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $940 | 49% |
| Labor | $280 | $640 | $990 | 51% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $550 | $1,250 | $1,950 | 100% |
What is behind the Lake Charles number
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 3 trades: construction laborers at 50%, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators at 30%, pipelayers at 20%. Weighted together, Lake Charles wages are 0.91 times the national level. Labor makes up about 51% of the midpoint estimate (52% at national prices).
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Lake Charles metro is 93.7 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 60 linear ft comes to $610, compared with $650 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (85.9) and land at $0 to $0.
Data note: 20% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Lake Charles. The wage table below marks each row.
Specs and site conditions that change a Lake Charles bid
Where the water goes
A sump pump adds $500-$1,800 and a dry well $50-$3,000+. Discharging to a storm drain can mean extra permit fees.
Depth and soil
Rocky or clay soil and long trenches raise excavation time.
Crawl space drains
A crawl space French drain is $2,000-$8,000 installed.
Lake Charles: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Lake Charles 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 3 common sizes.
Basic
$550 to $1,100
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$970 to $1,500
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,400 to $1,950
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $280 – $550 | $480 – $760 | $690 – $970 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $550 – $1,100 | $970 – $1,500 | $1,400 – $1,950 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,100 – $2,200 | $1,950 – $3,050 | $2,750 – $3,850 |
Is Lake Charles cheap or dear? The local comparison
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 60 linear ft range from $1,150 to $1,250 across Lake Charles and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, LAthis page | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | |
| Beaumont, TX60 miles | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +2% |
| Lafayette, LA65 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Alexandria, LA95 miles | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −6% |
| Baton Rouge, LA125 miles | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Houston, TX130 miles | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +2% |
| Louisiana (statewide) | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +8% |
Across 300 US metros, Lake Charles comes in at #230 from the top. The priciest is San Francisco, CA at $1,900; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $1,100 (midpoints, 60 linear ft). Statewide, Lake Charles is 4% above the Louisiana figure.
Other Louisiana metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans, LA | 445,550 jobs | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 409,690 jobs | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | −1% |
| Lafayette, LA | 179,570 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Shreveport, LA | 162,750 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Slidell, LA | 98,240 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −4% |
| Monroe, LA | 87,500 jobs | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −7% |
Cities with a workforce like Lake Charles's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Lake Charles against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, IN | 102,200 jobs | $660 – $2,300 | $1,500 | +20% |
| Springfield, IL | 100,810 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +24% |
| Clarksville, TN | 103,220 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | level |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 98,500 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +29% |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Lake Charles is 0.91 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $21.75 an hour, 4% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.37 and $25.18 an hour. About 2,130 work in the metro. That is 209.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $23.69 an hour, which is 18% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $21.27 and $29.07 an hour. BLS counts 410 of them working in the area, 40.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Lake Charles metro, so we used the Louisiana statewide median: $21.32 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $17.97 and $23.20 an hour.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($25.18 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $55. At the 25th percentile ($17.37) it shrinks by about $70. The total moves by 4.3% or 5.5%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 101,690 jobs in the Lake Charles area. That makes it the 202nd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.07% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.37 | $21.75 | $25.18 | $22.66 | 0.96 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $21.27 | $23.69 | $29.07 | $28.78 | 0.82 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $17.97 | $21.32 | $23.20 | $23.56 | 0.90 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.91 | |||||
When to schedule French drain in Lake Charles
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Lake Charles (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
September through May is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Lake Charles (9 of 12 months). June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Lake Charles gets about 60 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, June and August (6.5 inches in June). Inside the workable window, February and March are the driest, at 3.3 and 3.7 inches. The station averages about 88 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 | 63 | 43 | 5.9 | Workable |
| Feb | 67 | 47 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Mar | 73 | 53 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Apr | 79 | 59 | 4.4 | Workable |
| May | 85 | 67 | 5.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 91 | 74 | 6.5 | Hot |
| Jul | 92 | 76 | 5.7 | Hot |
| Aug | 93 | 75 | 6.2 | Hot |
| Sep | 89 | 71 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 82 | 60 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Nov | 72 | 51 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 65 | 45 | 4.6 | Workable |
Related projects, priced for Lake Charles
Because every project leans on different trades, Lake Charles's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sprinkler system runs −4% and concrete slab −9%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,500 – $12,500 | −8% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,300 | −9% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,350 – $3,000 | −9% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,200 – $4,700 | −9% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,850 – $9,550 | −4% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $33,500 – $105,000 | −7% |
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Detailed french drain report for Lake Charles, LA, $9
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French drain in Lake Charles: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Lake Charles?
For 60 linear ft, expect $550 to $1,950 in the Lake Charles area. A standard-spec job lands at $970 to $1,500. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Lake Charles?
About $9.20 to $32.50 per linear ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $10 to $35.
+Is French drain cheaper in Lake Charles or Beaumont?
Beaumont is 60 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,250, which is 2% more than Lake Charles ($1,250). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Lake Charles?
About 51% at the midpoint, or $640 out of $1,250. Materials are 49% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Lake Charles?
$550 to $1,950. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Lake Charles?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Lake Charles area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Lake Charles expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Louisiana?
Lake Charles is 4% above the Louisiana statewide estimate ($1,200 at the midpoint). We cover 9 metros in Louisiana; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Lake Charles?
The BLS median is $21.75 an hour in the Lake Charles area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.37 to $25.18.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Lake Charles?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $550 to $1,100 and premium work $1,400 to $1,950. Basic means: shallow yard drain, easy digging. Premium means: deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge.
+When is the best time to install a French drain in Lake Charles?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. February and March are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
French drain near Lake Charles
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 French Drain Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- Cost to Renovate: Renovation Labor Report 2026: Where the Money Goes (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 = 48% of the installed price, from Cost to Renovate's mid-range 'Outdoor Living' category split (44% labor, 48% materials). It is a category average, not a French-drain figure, so the materials line here is a rough one.