French drain cost in Odessa, TX
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $540 – $1,900
- Per linear ft
- $8.95 – $31.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −10%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #258
- 1 = most expensive
Odessa homeowners pay roughly $540 to $1,900 to install a French drain at 60 linear ft, or $8.95 to $31.50 per linear ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Odessa is 10% lower. Construction laborers earn a median of $18.45 an hour in the Odessa area, 19% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Odessa, TX, standard level
$940 to $1,500
About $15.50 to $24.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 50% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $470 | $730 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $940 | $1,500 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Odessa, TX
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $950 | 50% |
| Labor | $270 | $600 | $940 | 50% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $540 | $1,200 | $1,900 | 100% |
What is behind the Odessa number
Labor is 50% 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 Odessa the blended ratio comes out at 0.86.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Odessa metro is 93.8 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 60 linear ft comes to $610, compared with $650 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (93.9) and land at $0 to $0.
When to schedule French drain in Odessa
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Odessa (in the city). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
February through May and September through December are the stretches where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Odessa (8 of 12 months). January has an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F); June, July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
In January the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 44 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Odessa gets about 12 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are May, August and September (1.6 inches in May). Inside the workable window, February and December are the driest, at 0.5 and 0.6 inches. The station averages about 106 days a year at 90°F or above.
Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 32 | 0.7 | Cold |
| Feb | 62 | 36 | 0.5 | Workable |
| Mar | 71 | 44 | 0.7 | Workable |
| Apr | 79 | 51 | 0.7 | Workable |
| May | 87 | 61 | 1.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 94 | 68 | 1.0 | Hot |
| Jul | 94 | 71 | 1.5 | Hot |
| Aug | 93 | 70 | 1.6 | Hot |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 1.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 1.3 | Workable |
| Nov | 66 | 41 | 0.6 | Workable |
| Dec | 58 | 33 | 0.6 | Workable |
Pick a size, pick a tier: french drain pricing in Odessa
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Odessa wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 3 common sizes.
Basic
$540 to $1,050
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$940 to $1,500
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,350 to $1,900
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $270 – $540 | $470 – $740 | $670 – $940 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $540 – $1,050 | $940 – $1,500 | $1,350 – $1,900 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,050 – $2,150 | $1,900 – $2,950 | $2,700 – $3,750 |
Odessa against nearby metros and the rest of Texas
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 $1,150 to $1,250 across Odessa and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odessa, TXthis page | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | |
| Midland, TX35 miles | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | +2% |
| Lubbock, TX115 miles | $520 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −3% |
| Abilene, TX170 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −1% |
| El Paso, TX175 miles | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −5% |
| Amarillo, TX235 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −1% |
| Texas (statewide) | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +3% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +12% |
Across 300 US metros, Odessa comes in at #258 from the top. The priciest is San Francisco, CA at $1,900; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $1,100 (midpoints, 60 linear ft). Statewide, Odessa is 3% below the Texas figure.
Other Texas metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +8% |
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +5% |
| Austin, TX | 1,293,690 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +4% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,126,880 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −1% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −5% |
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $490 – $1,750 | $1,100 | −8% |
Cities with a workforce like Odessa's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Odessa against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson City, TN | 81,690 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | +1% |
| Greenville, NC | 80,770 jobs | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +3% |
| Idaho Falls, ID | 81,840 jobs | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +12% |
| Jefferson City, MO | 80,220 jobs | $640 – $2,250 | $1,450 | +19% |
Specs and site conditions that change a Odessa bid
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).
Related projects, priced for Odessa
Because every project leans on different trades, Odessa's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sod installation runs −8% and concrete slab −10%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,400 – $12,300 | −9% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,250 – $9,250 | −10% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,050 | −8% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,200 – $4,700 | −10% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,650 – $9,150 | −8% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $32,800 – $102,500 | −9% |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Odessa is 0.86 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $18.45 an hour, 19% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.34 and $22.12 an hour. About 970 work in the metro. That is 119.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $26.65 an hour, which is 7% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.13 and $29.64 an hour. BLS counts 670 of them working in the area, 82.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Pipelayers (47-2151), 20% of the weighting: a median of $20.19 an hour, 14% below the US median of $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $20.00 and $20.69 an hour. About 40 work in the metro. That is 4.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 2.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($22.12 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $55. At the 25th percentile ($17.34) it shrinks by about $15. The total moves by 4.7% or 1.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 80,910 jobs in the Odessa area. That makes it the 235th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.05% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.34 | $18.45 | $22.12 | $22.66 | 0.81 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $23.13 | $26.65 | $29.64 | $28.78 | 0.93 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $20.00 | $20.19 | $20.69 | $23.56 | 0.86 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.86 | |||||
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French drain in Odessa: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Odessa?
For 60 linear ft, expect $540 to $1,900 in the Odessa area. A standard-spec job lands at $940 to $1,500. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Odessa?
About $8.95 to $31.50 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 Odessa or Midland?
Midland is 35 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,250, which is 2% more than Odessa ($1,200). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Odessa?
About 50% at the midpoint, or $600 out of $1,200. Materials are 50% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Odessa?
$540 to $1,900. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Odessa?
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 Odessa area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Odessa expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Texas?
Odessa is 3% below the Texas statewide estimate ($1,250 at the midpoint). We cover 21 metros in Texas; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Odessa?
The BLS median is $18.45 an hour in the Odessa area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.34 to $22.12.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Odessa?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $540 to $1,050 and premium work $1,350 to $1,900. 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 Odessa?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through May and September through December. February and December 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 Odessa
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.