French drain cost in Kingston, NY
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $650 – $2,300
- Per linear ft
- $11 – $38
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +8%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #86
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Kingston, NY usually costs $650 to $2,300 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $11 to $38 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $110 more. Construction laborers earn a median of $23.81 an hour in the Kingston area, 5% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Kingston, NY, standard level
$1,150 to $1,800
About $19 to $30 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 56% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $500 | $790 |
| Labor | $640 | $1,000 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,150 | $1,800 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Kingston, NY
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $290 | $650 | $1,000 | 44% |
| Labor | $360 | $820 | $1,250 | 56% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $650 | $1,450 | $2,300 | 100% |
Why Kingston prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $23.81 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Kingston is 1.17 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 56% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Kingston is at 99.7 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $650 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 100.7: $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 Kingston. The wage table below marks each row.
Kingston 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, Rhinebeck 4Se (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 Kingston are May through October: 6 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, April, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March, April, 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 185 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Kingston gets about 51 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are August, October and December (5.3 inches in October). Inside the workable window, May and June are the driest, at 3.8 and 4.1 inches. The station averages about 20 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 | 37 | 11 | 4.0 | Cold |
| Feb | 40 | 12 | 3.1 | Cold |
| Mar | 49 | 20 | 4.1 | Cold |
| Apr | 62 | 31 | 3.9 | Cold |
| May | 73 | 43 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Jun | 81 | 52 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Jul | 86 | 56 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Aug | 84 | 55 | 4.9 | Workable |
| Sep | 77 | 47 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Oct | 65 | 35 | 5.3 | Workable |
| Nov | 53 | 26 | 3.6 | Cold |
| Dec | 42 | 17 | 4.8 | Cold |
Is Kingston 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 $1,450 to $1,550 across Kingston and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston, NYthis page | $650 – $2,300 | $1,450 | |
| Poughkeepsie, NY30 miles | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | +7% |
| Albany, NY60 miles | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +5% |
| Pittsfield, MA60 miles | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | −1% |
| Bridgeport, CT65 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +2% |
| Waterbury, CT70 miles | $650 – $2,300 | $1,450 | level |
| New York (statewide) | $710 – $2,500 | $1,600 | +9% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −8% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Kingston ranks #86 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Kingston is 8% below the New York figure.
Elsewhere in New York
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 9,492,000 jobs | $770 – $2,700 | $1,750 | +19% |
| Buffalo, NY | 534,550 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +3% |
| Rochester, NY | 494,280 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | −1% |
| Albany, NY | 449,410 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +5% |
| Syracuse, NY | 300,130 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | −2% |
| Poughkeepsie, NY | 268,970 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | +7% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Kingston against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles, MI | 59,970 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −8% |
| Altoona, PA | 58,650 jobs | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | −12% |
| Alexandria, LA | 60,000 jobs | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −20% |
| Dubuque, IA | 58,470 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −8% |
French drain: what moves the price in Kingston
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.
Depth and soil
Rocky or clay soil and long trenches raise excavation time.
Related projects, priced for Kingston
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Kingston wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, retaining wall comes out highest (+10%) and concrete slab lowest (+1%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $8,000 – $14,600 | +10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,650 – $10,800 | +5% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,550 – $3,450 | +5% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,500 – $5,250 | +1% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,200 – $10,500 | +5% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $39,000 – $121,500 | +8% |
Kingston: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Kingston. 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 $1,800
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,650 to $2,300
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $330 – $650 | $570 – $890 | $810 – $1,150 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $650 – $1,300 | $1,150 – $1,800 | $1,650 – $2,300 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,300 – $2,600 | $2,300 – $3,600 | $3,250 – $4,550 |
What local crews earn in Kingston
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 Kingston the blend is 1.17.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $23.81 an hour, which is 5% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $20.94 and $31.28 an hour. BLS counts 430 of them working in the area, 72.7 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 $33.83 an hour, 18% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $27.79 and $36.54 an hour. About 150 work in the metro. That is 25.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Kingston metro, so we used the New York statewide median: $33.83 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $25.25 and $38.64 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $120 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $45. That is a swing of roughly 3.0% to 7.9% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Kingston has 59,140 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 290th 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% | $20.94 | $23.81 | $31.28 | $22.66 | 1.05 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $27.79 | $33.83 | $36.54 | $28.78 | 1.18 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $25.25 | $33.83 | $38.64 | $23.56 | 1.44 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.17 | |||||
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French drain in Kingston: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Kingston?
For 60 linear ft, expect $650 to $2,300 in the Kingston area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,150 to $1,800. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Kingston?
About $11 to $38 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 Kingston or Poughkeepsie?
Poughkeepsie is 30 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,550, which is 7% more than Kingston ($1,450). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Kingston?
About 56% at the midpoint, or $820 out of $1,450. Materials are 44% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Kingston?
$650 to $2,300. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Kingston?
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 Kingston area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Kingston expensive for French drain compared with the rest of New York?
Kingston is 8% below the New York statewide estimate ($1,600 at the midpoint). We cover 9 metros in New York; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Kingston?
The BLS median is $23.81 an hour in the Kingston area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $20.94 to $31.28.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Kingston?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $650 to $1,300 and premium work $1,650 to $2,300. 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 Kingston?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are May through October. May and June 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 Kingston
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.