French drain cost in Waco, TX
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $530 – $1,850
- Per linear ft
- $8.80 – $31
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −12%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #279
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Waco, TX usually costs $530 to $1,850 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $8.80 to $31 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $160 less. Construction laborers earn a median of $18.08 an hour in the Waco area, 20% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Waco, TX, standard level
$920 to $1,450
About $15.50 to $24 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 49% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $450 | $710 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $920 | $1,450 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Waco, TX
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $950 | 51% |
| Labor | $260 | $580 | $900 | 49% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $530 | $1,200 | $1,850 | 100% |
What is behind the Waco number
The wage side of the estimate leans on construction laborers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $18.08 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Waco is 0.82 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 49% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Waco is at 93.8 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 92.5: $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 Waco. The wage table below marks each row.
What nearby projects cost in Waco
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Waco wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−8%) and gravel driveway lowest (−13%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,250 – $12,200 | −10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,150 – $8,850 | −13% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,050 | −8% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,100 – $4,550 | −13% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,550 – $8,850 | −11% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $31,800 – $99,500 | −12% |
What local crews earn in Waco
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 Waco the blend is 0.82.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $18.08 an hour, which is 20% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $16.60 and $20.65 an hour. BLS counts 1,220 of them working in the area, 93.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.95 an hour, 20% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $19.36 and $26.86 an hour. About 470 work in the metro. That is 36.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Waco metro, so we used the Texas statewide median: $21.93 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $19.17 and $23.79 an hour.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $40 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $25. That is a swing of roughly 1.9% to 3.4% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Waco has 129,860 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 168th 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% | $16.60 | $18.08 | $20.65 | $22.66 | 0.80 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $19.36 | $22.95 | $26.86 | $28.78 | 0.80 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $19.17 | $21.93 | $23.79 | $23.56 | 0.93 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.82 | |||||
Waco 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, Waco Rgnl 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 Waco are October through May: 8 of 12. Outside them, June, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Waco gets about 36 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are May, June and October (4.4 inches in May). Inside the workable window, January and February are the driest, at 2.6 and 2.7 inches. The station averages about 115 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 | 59 | 36 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Feb | 63 | 40 | 2.7 | Workable |
| Mar | 70 | 47 | 3.3 | Workable |
| Apr | 78 | 55 | 3.3 | Workable |
| May | 85 | 63 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 93 | 71 | 3.4 | Hot |
| Jul | 97 | 74 | 1.8 | Hot |
| Aug | 97 | 74 | 2.0 | Hot |
| Sep | 91 | 67 | 2.9 | Hot |
| Oct | 81 | 56 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 69 | 46 | 2.7 | Workable |
| Dec | 60 | 38 | 2.9 | Workable |
How Waco compares
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 $1,300 across Waco and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waco, TXthis page | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | |
| Killeen, TX40 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| College Station, TX75 miles | $520 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −1% |
| Dallas, TX90 miles | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +10% |
| Austin, TX95 miles | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +6% |
| Tyler, TX130 miles | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | level |
| Texas (statewide) | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +5% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +14% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Waco ranks #279 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Waco is 5% below the Texas figure.
Elsewhere in Texas
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | 4,049,800 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +10% |
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +7% |
| Austin, TX | 1,293,690 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +6% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,126,880 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | +1% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $510 – $1,800 | $1,150 | −4% |
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $490 – $1,750 | $1,100 | −7% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Waco against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | 130,300 jobs | $740 – $2,600 | $1,650 | +41% |
| Kennewick, WA | 129,490 jobs | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | +34% |
| Fayetteville, NC | 131,430 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +6% |
| Elkhart, IN | 127,730 jobs | $620 – $2,150 | $1,400 | +18% |
Why two Waco 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 Waco
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Waco. 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
$530 to $1,050
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$920 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 – $530 | $460 – $720 | $660 – $920 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $530 – $1,050 | $920 – $1,450 | $1,300 – $1,850 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,050 – $2,100 | $1,850 – $2,900 | $2,650 – $3,700 |
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Detailed french drain report for Waco, TX, $9
Multi-page report for Waco, TX: 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 Waco: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Waco?
For 60 linear ft, expect $530 to $1,850 in the Waco area. A standard-spec job lands at $920 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 Waco?
About $8.80 to $31 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 Waco or Killeen?
Killeen is 40 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,200, which is 0% more than Waco ($1,200). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Waco?
About 49% at the midpoint, or $580 out of $1,200. Materials are 51% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Waco?
$530 to $1,850. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Waco?
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 Waco area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Waco expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Texas?
Waco is 5% 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 Waco?
The BLS median is $18.08 an hour in the Waco area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $16.60 to $20.65.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Waco?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $530 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 Waco?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are October through May. January and February 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 Waco
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.