French drain cost in Canton, OH
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $630 – $2,200
- Per linear ft
- $10.50 – $37
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +5%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #104
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Canton, OH usually costs $630 to $2,200 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $10.50 to $37 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $75 more. Construction laborers earn a median of $25.85 an hour in the Canton area, 14% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Canton, OH, standard level
$1,100 to $1,750
About $18.50 to $29 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 57% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $640 | $1,000 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,100 | $1,750 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Canton, OH
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $940 | 43% |
| Labor | $360 | $820 | $1,250 | 57% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $630 | $1,400 | $2,200 | 100% |
Why Canton prices look the way they do
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, Canton wages are 1.16 times the national level. Labor makes up about 57% of the midpoint estimate (52% at national prices).
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Canton is at 93.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $610 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 89.4: $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 Canton. The wage table below marks each row.
French drain: what moves the price in Canton
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.
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).
What nearby projects cost in Canton
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Canton wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, retaining wall comes out highest (+4%) and sod installation lowest (−5%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $7,500 – $13,700 | +4% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,500 – $10,200 | level |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,150 | −5% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,450 – $5,150 | level |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,950 – $9,850 | −1% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $36,800 – $115,000 | +2% |
Is Canton 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 $1,300 to $1,500 across Canton and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton, OHthis page | $630 – $2,200 | $1,400 | |
| Akron, OH30 miles | $660 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +4% |
| Youngstown, OH40 miles | $630 – $2,200 | $1,400 | −1% |
| Wheeling, WV55 miles | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | −10% |
| Cleveland, OH65 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +6% |
| Pittsburgh, PA75 miles | $610 – $2,150 | $1,350 | −4% |
| Ohio (statewide) | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +2% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −5% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Canton ranks #104 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Canton is 2% below the Ohio figure.
Elsewhere in Ohio
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | 1,105,580 jobs | $680 – $2,400 | $1,550 | +8% |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1,101,030 jobs | $650 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +2% |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,031,130 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +6% |
| Dayton, OH | 372,660 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +1% |
| Akron, OH | 319,560 jobs | $660 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +4% |
| Toledo, OH | 291,530 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +1% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Canton against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont, TX | 163,220 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −11% |
| Shreveport, LA | 162,750 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −16% |
| Spartanburg, SC | 165,150 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −13% |
| Waterbury, CT | 160,710 jobs | $650 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +3% |
Canton 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, Akron Canton Rgnl Ap (10 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 Canton are April through November: 8 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March 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 120 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Canton gets about 42 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 47 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and July (4.4 inches in June). Inside the workable window, October and November are the driest, at 3.3 and 3.1 inches. The station averages about 11 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 | 36 | 20 | 2.9 | Cold |
| Feb | 39 | 22 | 2.4 | Cold |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 3.2 | Cold |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.9 | Workable |
| May | 72 | 50 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.1 | Workable |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 63 | 44 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Nov | 51 | 34 | 3.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 40 | 26 | 2.9 | Cold |
Cost by quality level and size in Canton
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Canton. 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
$630 to $1,250
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,100 to $1,750
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,600 to $2,200
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $320 – $630 | $550 – $870 | $790 – $1,100 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $630 – $1,250 | $1,100 – $1,750 | $1,600 – $2,200 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,250 – $2,550 | $2,200 – $3,500 | $3,150 – $4,450 |
What local crews earn in Canton
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 Canton the blend is 1.16.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $25.85 an hour, which is 14% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.85 and $35.80 an hour. BLS counts 1,100 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 $28.85 an hour, in line with the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $24.38 and $43.07 an hour. About 530 work in the metro. That is 32.5 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 Canton metro, so we used the Ohio statewide median: $34.41 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $28.62 and $38.33 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $150 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $60. That is a swing of roughly 4.4% to 10.8% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Canton-Massillon has 163,080 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 145th 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% | $21.85 | $25.85 | $35.80 | $22.66 | 1.14 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $24.38 | $28.85 | $43.07 | $28.78 | 1.00 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $28.62 | $34.41 | $38.33 | $23.56 | 1.46 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.16 | |||||
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French drain in Canton: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Canton?
For 60 linear ft, expect $630 to $2,200 in the Canton area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,100 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 Canton?
About $10.50 to $37 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 Canton or Akron?
Akron is 30 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,450, which is 4% more than Canton ($1,400). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Canton?
About 57% at the midpoint, or $820 out of $1,400. Materials are 43% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Canton?
$630 to $2,200. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Canton?
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 Canton area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Canton expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Ohio?
Canton is 2% below the Ohio statewide estimate ($1,450 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Ohio; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Canton?
The BLS median is $25.85 an hour in the Canton area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.85 to $35.80.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Canton?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $630 to $1,250 and premium work $1,600 to $2,200. 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 Canton?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through November. 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 Canton
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.