French drain cost in Pittsfield, MA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $650 – $2,250
- Per linear ft
- $11 – $37.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +8%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #89
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Pittsfield, MA usually costs $650 to $2,250 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $11 to $37.50 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $100 more. Construction laborers earn a median of $25.06 an hour in the Pittsfield area, 11% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Pittsfield, MA, standard level
$1,150 to $1,750
About $19 to $29.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 57% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $770 |
| Labor | $640 | $1,000 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,150 | $1,750 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Pittsfield, MA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $630 | $980 | 43% |
| Labor | $370 | $820 | $1,300 | 57% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $650 | $1,450 | $2,250 | 100% |
Where the Pittsfield price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $25.06 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Pittsfield is 1.17 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 57% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Pittsfield is at 97.0 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $630 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 95.1: $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 Pittsfield. The wage table below marks each row.
Specs and site conditions that change a Pittsfield bid
Crawl space drains
A crawl space French drain is $2,000-$8,000 installed.
Exterior versus interior
A shallow exterior French drain is $10-$35 per linear foot; an interior basement drain is $40-$85 per foot, or $4,000-$17,000 installed (HomeGuide).
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.
Pittsfield weather and the french drain calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Pittsfield Muni Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Pittsfield are April through October: 7 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March, November and December the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 153 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Pittsfield gets about 44 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are June, September and October (4.6 inches in June). Inside the workable window, April and May are the driest, at 3.4 and 3.8 inches. The station averages about 3 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 2.7 | Cold |
| Feb | 33 | 15 | 2.5 | Cold |
| Mar | 42 | 23 | 3.1 | Cold |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.4 | Workable |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Sep | 70 | 49 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 3.5 | Cold |
| Dec | 36 | 21 | 3.6 | Cold |
Pick a size, pick a tier: french drain pricing in Pittsfield
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Pittsfield. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from short run (30 linear ft) to long run (120 linear ft).
Basic
$650 to $1,300
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,150 to $1,750
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,600 to $2,250
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $320 – $650 | $560 – $890 | $810 – $1,150 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $650 – $1,300 | $1,150 – $1,750 | $1,600 – $2,250 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,300 – $2,600 | $2,250 – $3,550 | $3,250 – $4,500 |
What local crews earn in Pittsfield
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Pittsfield the blend is 1.17.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $25.06 an hour, which is 11% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.32 and $30.23 an hour. BLS counts 350 of them working in the area, 61.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $30.99 an hour, 8% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.72 and $36.05 an hour. About 150 work in the metro. That is 26.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Pittsfield metro, so we used the Massachusetts statewide median: $34.99 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $30.30 and $41.61 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $80 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $60. That is a swing of roughly 4.0% to 5.5% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Pittsfield has 56,810 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 298th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $21.32 | $25.06 | $30.23 | $22.66 | 1.11 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $23.72 | $30.99 | $36.05 | $28.78 | 1.08 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $30.30 | $34.99 | $41.61 | $23.56 | 1.49 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.17 | |||||
Is Pittsfield cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, none is cheaper than Pittsfield. Hartford comes closest at about $1,450.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsfield, MAthis page | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | |
| Amherst, MA30 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +4% |
| Springfield, MA35 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +4% |
| Albany, NY45 miles | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +6% |
| Hartford, CT60 miles | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +1% |
| Waterbury, CT60 miles | $650 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +1% |
| Massachusetts (statewide) | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +10% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −7% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Pittsfield ranks #89 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Pittsfield is 9% below the Massachusetts figure.
Elsewhere in Massachusetts
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MA | 2,703,890 jobs | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +10% |
| Worcester, MA | 349,880 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | +8% |
| Springfield, MA | 201,240 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +4% |
| Barnstable, MA | 94,110 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +6% |
| Amherst, MA | 65,670 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +4% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Pittsfield against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Gorda, FL | 57,530 jobs | $560 – $2,000 | $1,250 | −13% |
| Lake Havasu City, AZ | 56,490 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | −10% |
| Texarkana, TX | 57,580 jobs | $520 – $1,850 | $1,150 | −19% |
| Cheyenne, WY | 48,470 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | −10% |
Planning more than one job in Pittsfield?
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Pittsfield wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, retaining wall comes out highest (+10%) and concrete slab lowest (+2%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $8,050 – $14,500 | +10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,600 – $10,500 | +3% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,600 – $3,500 | +6% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,550 – $5,300 | +2% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,300 – $10,700 | +7% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $38,900 – $121,500 | +8% |
Get 3 local quotes
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Detailed french drain report for Pittsfield, MA, $9
Multi-page report for Pittsfield, MA: low, typical and high cost, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor by trade, permit notes, the best months to schedule, a quote comparison sheet, red flags, questions for contractors, checklists and every source. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
French drain in Pittsfield: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Pittsfield?
For 60 linear ft, expect $650 to $2,250 in the Pittsfield area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,150 to $1,750. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Pittsfield?
About $11 to $37.50 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 Pittsfield or Amherst?
Amherst is 30 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,500, which is 4% more than Pittsfield ($1,450). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Pittsfield?
About 57% at the midpoint, or $820 out of $1,450. Materials are 43% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Pittsfield?
$650 to $2,250. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Pittsfield?
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 Pittsfield area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Pittsfield expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Massachusetts?
Pittsfield is 9% below the Massachusetts statewide estimate ($1,600 at the midpoint). We cover 6 metros in Massachusetts; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Pittsfield?
The BLS median is $25.06 an hour in the Pittsfield area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.32 to $30.23.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Pittsfield?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $650 to $1,300 and premium work $1,600 to $2,250. 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 Pittsfield?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through October. April and May 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 Pittsfield
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.