French drain cost in Hattiesburg, MS
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $520 – $1,850
- Per linear ft
- $8.70 – $30.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −13%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #286
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Hattiesburg, MS usually costs $520 to $1,850 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $8.70 to $30.50 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $180 less. Construction laborers earn a median of $17.17 an hour in the Hattiesburg area, 24% below the US median of $22.66.
Estimate your french drain cost
Pick a size, a quality level and where you live. Prices update as you type.
Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Hattiesburg, MS, standard level
$910 to $1,450
About $15 to $24 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 47% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $480 | $760 |
| Labor | $430 | $670 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $910 | $1,450 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Hattiesburg, MS
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $620 | $970 | 53% |
| Labor | $250 | $550 | $860 | 47% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $520 | $1,150 | $1,850 | 100% |
Why Hattiesburg prices look the way they do
Labor is 47% of the midpoint bill here, against 52% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is construction laborers (50%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (30%), pipelayers (20%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Hattiesburg the blended ratio comes out at 0.79.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Hattiesburg is at 96.2 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $620 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 87.6: $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 Hattiesburg. The wage table below marks each row.
Why two Hattiesburg quotes can differ
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.
Cost by quality level and size in Hattiesburg
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Hattiesburg. 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
$520 to $1,050
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$910 to $1,450
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,300 to $1,850
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $260 – $520 | $460 – $720 | $650 – $910 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $520 – $1,050 | $910 – $1,450 | $1,300 – $1,850 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,050 – $2,100 | $1,850 – $2,850 | $2,600 – $3,650 |
Hattiesburg 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, Hattiesburg Chain 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 Hattiesburg are September through May: 9 of 12. Outside them, June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Hattiesburg gets about 59 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, June and July (5.8 inches in June). Inside the workable window, October and November are the driest, at 3.7 and 3.7 inches. The station averages about 96 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 | 60 | 38 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Feb | 65 | 42 | 4.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 72 | 48 | 5.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 78 | 54 | 5.4 | Workable |
| May | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 5.8 | Hot |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 5.7 | Hot |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 4.8 | Hot |
| Sep | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 80 | 55 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Nov | 69 | 44 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Dec | 62 | 41 | 5.0 | Workable |
What local crews earn in Hattiesburg
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 Hattiesburg the blend is 0.79.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $17.17 an hour, which is 24% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $14.92 and $19.52 an hour. BLS counts 420 of them working in the area, 67.5 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 $22.61 an hour, 21% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $17.99 and $27.82 an hour. About 180 work in the metro. That is 28.9 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 Hattiesburg metro, so we used the Mississippi statewide median: $20.14 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $17.76 and $23.22 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $35 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $35. That is a swing of roughly 3.0% to 3.1% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Hattiesburg has 62,230 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 280th 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% | $14.92 | $17.17 | $19.52 | $22.66 | 0.76 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $17.99 | $22.61 | $27.82 | $28.78 | 0.79 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $17.76 | $20.14 | $23.22 | $23.56 | 0.85 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.79 | |||||
What nearby projects cost in Hattiesburg
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Hattiesburg wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, concrete slab comes out highest (−12%) and sod installation lowest (−14%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,000 – $11,900 | −12% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,150 – $8,850 | −13% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,300 – $2,850 | −14% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,100 – $4,600 | −12% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,450 – $8,650 | −14% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $31,200 – $97,500 | −14% |
Is Hattiesburg cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, none is cheaper than Hattiesburg. Jackson comes closest at about $1,200.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hattiesburg, MSthis page | $520 – $1,850 | $1,150 | |
| Gulfport, MS50 miles | $540 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +3% |
| Slidell, LA70 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Mobile, AL70 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Daphne, AL95 miles | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +3% |
| Jackson, MS100 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Mississippi (statewide) | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +15% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Hattiesburg ranks #286 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Hattiesburg is 1% below the Mississippi figure.
Elsewhere in Mississippi
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson, MS | 270,730 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +2% |
| Gulfport, MS | 158,310 jobs | $540 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +3% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Hattiesburg against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vineland, NJ | 62,300 jobs | $780 – $2,750 | $1,750 | +50% |
| Pueblo, CO | 61,780 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +15% |
| Muskegon, MI | 62,340 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +14% |
| Santa Fe, NM | 61,770 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +6% |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $910 to $1,450 for Hattiesburg, MS is attached.
Take this estimate with you: PDF report, $9
Multi-page report for Hattiesburg, MS: 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 Hattiesburg: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Hattiesburg?
For 60 linear ft, expect $520 to $1,850 in the Hattiesburg area. A standard-spec job lands at $910 to $1,450. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Hattiesburg?
About $8.70 to $30.50 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 Hattiesburg or Gulfport?
Gulfport is 50 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,200, which is 3% more than Hattiesburg ($1,150). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Hattiesburg?
About 47% at the midpoint, or $550 out of $1,150. Materials are 53% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Hattiesburg?
$520 to $1,850. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Hattiesburg?
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 Hattiesburg area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Hattiesburg expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Mississippi?
Hattiesburg is 1% below the Mississippi statewide estimate ($1,200 at the midpoint). We cover 3 metros in Mississippi; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Hattiesburg?
The BLS median is $17.17 an hour in the Hattiesburg area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $14.92 to $19.52.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Hattiesburg?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $520 to $1,050 and premium work $1,300 to $1,850. 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 Hattiesburg?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are September through May. October and November 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 Hattiesburg
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.