French drain cost in Erie, PA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $590 – $2,050
- Per linear ft
- $9.80 – $34.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −2%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #165
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a French drain in the Erie area: $590 to $2,050 for 60 linear ft. The low end is a basic job on easy ground; the high end is a premium spec with harder access. The midpoint lands close to the US figure. Construction laborers earn a median of $22.35 an hour in the Erie area, 1% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Erie, PA, standard level
$1,050 to $1,600
About $17 to $27 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 51% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $510 | $800 |
| Labor | $520 | $820 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,050 | $1,600 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Erie, PA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $290 | $650 | $1,000 | 49% |
| Labor | $300 | $670 | $1,050 | 51% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $590 | $1,300 | $2,050 | 100% |
What is behind the Erie number
Labor is 51% 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 Erie the blended ratio comes out at 0.95.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Erie is at 100.7 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 91.0: $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 Erie. The wage table below marks each row.
French drain: what moves the price in Erie
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.
The best months for French drain in Erie
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Erie Intl 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 Erie 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 112 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Erie gets about 43 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 104 inches of snow. The wettest months are September, October and December (4.4 inches in October). Inside the workable window, July and August are the driest, at 3.3 and 3.4 inches. The station averages about 5 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 | 35 | 21 | 3.4 | Cold |
| Feb | 37 | 21 | 2.5 | Cold |
| Mar | 44 | 28 | 3.1 | Cold |
| Apr | 57 | 38 | 3.5 | Workable |
| May | 68 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Jun | 77 | 59 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Jul | 81 | 64 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Sep | 74 | 57 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Oct | 62 | 46 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 51 | 37 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Dec | 40 | 28 | 4.2 | Cold |
Who does the work: Erie trade wages
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 Erie the blend is 0.95.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $22.35 an hour, which is in line with the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.41 and $26.60 an hour. BLS counts 540 of them working in the area, 44.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $27.90 an hour, 3% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $24.42 and $32.99 an hour. About 280 work in the metro. That is 23.2 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 Erie metro, so we used the Pennsylvania statewide median: $20.00 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $20.00 and $29.44 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $65 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $60. That is a swing of roughly 4.6% to 5.0% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Erie has 120,480 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 181st 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% | $18.41 | $22.35 | $26.60 | $22.66 | 0.99 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $24.42 | $27.90 | $32.99 | $28.78 | 0.97 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $20.00 | $20.00 | $29.44 | $23.56 | 0.85 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.95 | |||||
Erie: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Erie. 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
$590 to $1,200
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,050 to $1,600
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,450 to $2,050
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $290 – $590 | $510 – $810 | $730 – $1,050 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $590 – $1,200 | $1,050 – $1,600 | $1,450 – $2,050 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,200 – $2,350 | $2,050 – $3,250 | $2,950 – $4,100 |
Is Erie cheap or dear? The local comparison
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Cleveland is the priciest of the group at $1,500.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erie, PAthis page | $590 – $2,050 | $1,300 | |
| Youngstown, OH75 miles | $630 – $2,200 | $1,400 | +7% |
| Cleveland, OH75 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +14% |
| Buffalo, NY95 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +14% |
| Akron, OH95 miles | $660 – $2,300 | $1,450 | +12% |
| Pittsburgh, PA115 miles | $610 – $2,150 | $1,350 | +3% |
| Pennsylvania (statewide) | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +2% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +2% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Erie ranks #165 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Erie is 2% below the Pennsylvania figure.
Elsewhere in Pennsylvania
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | 2,897,830 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +9% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1,114,490 jobs | $610 – $2,150 | $1,350 | +3% |
| Allentown, PA | 377,180 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +3% |
| Harrisburg, PA | 335,010 jobs | $620 – $2,200 | $1,400 | +6% |
| Scranton, PA | 255,620 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +1% |
| Lancaster, PA | 252,230 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Erie against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala, FL | 120,980 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −9% |
| Burlington, VT | 120,150 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +2% |
| Kalamazoo, MI | 121,790 jobs | $610 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +5% |
| Kingsport, TN | 119,560 jobs | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | −3% |
Planning more than one job in Erie?
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Erie wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sprinkler system comes out highest (+1%) and sod installation lowest (−3%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,900 – $13,300 | −2% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,500 – $10,100 | −1% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,200 | −3% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,450 – $5,200 | level |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,000 – $10,100 | +1% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $35,800 – $112,000 | −1% |
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French drain in Erie: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Erie?
For 60 linear ft, expect $590 to $2,050 in the Erie area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,050 to $1,600. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Erie?
About $9.80 to $34.50 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 Erie or Youngstown?
Youngstown is 75 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,400, which is 7% more than Erie ($1,300). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Erie?
About 51% at the midpoint, or $670 out of $1,300. Materials are 49% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Erie?
$590 to $2,050. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Erie?
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 Erie area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Erie expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Pennsylvania?
Erie is 2% below the Pennsylvania statewide estimate ($1,350 at the midpoint). We cover 12 metros in Pennsylvania; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Erie?
The BLS median is $22.35 an hour in the Erie area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $18.41 to $26.60.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Erie?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $590 to $1,200 and premium work $1,450 to $2,050. 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 Erie?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through November. July and August 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 Erie
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.