French drain cost in Appleton, WI
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $710 – $2,450
- Per linear ft
- $12 – $41
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +18%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #29
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to install a French drain in Appleton, plan on $710 to $2,450 for 60 linear ft, all in. Per linear ft, that is $12 to $41 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 18% higher than the national one. Construction laborers earn a median of $28.49 an hour in the Appleton area, 26% above the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Appleton, WI, standard level
$1,250 to $1,950
About $20.50 to $32.50 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 62% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $470 | $740 |
| Labor | $760 | $1,200 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $1,250 | $1,950 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Appleton, WI
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $270 | $610 | $950 | 38% |
| Labor | $440 | $980 | $1,550 | 62% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $710 | $1,600 | $2,450 | 100% |
Where the Appleton price comes from
Labor is 62% 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 Appleton the blended ratio comes out at 1.40.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Appleton 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 (92.4) and land at $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 Appleton. The wage table below marks each row.
Appleton: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Appleton 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
$710 to $1,400
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$1,250 to $1,950
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,750 to $2,450
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $350 – $710 | $620 – $970 | $880 – $1,250 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $710 – $1,400 | $1,250 – $1,950 | $1,750 – $2,450 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,400 – $2,850 | $2,450 – $3,900 | $3,550 – $4,950 |
Appleton against nearby metros and the rest of Wisconsin
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 $1,500 to $1,600 across Appleton and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton, WIthis page | $710 – $2,450 | $1,600 | |
| Oshkosh, WI20 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | −5% |
| Green Bay, WI20 miles | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −3% |
| Sheboygan, WI50 miles | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | −5% |
| Wausau, WI80 miles | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | −1% |
| Milwaukee, WI100 miles | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | level |
| Wisconsin (statewide) | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −3% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | −15% |
Across 300 US metros, Appleton comes in at #29 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, Appleton is 3% above the Wisconsin figure.
Other Wisconsin metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee, WI | 820,780 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | level |
| Madison, WI | 408,070 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | −1% |
| Green Bay, WI | 174,550 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −3% |
| Oshkosh, WI | 93,750 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | −5% |
| Eau Claire, WI | 86,060 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −2% |
| La Crosse, WI | 84,380 jobs | $690 – $2,400 | $1,550 | −3% |
Cities with a workforce like Appleton's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Appleton against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duluth, MN | 124,710 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,550 | −1% |
| Amarillo, TX | 123,930 jobs | $530 – $1,850 | $1,200 | −25% |
| Crestview, FL | 125,050 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | −20% |
| Rochester, MN | 122,980 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | −1% |
Appleton labor market for French drain
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 Appleton is 1.40 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $28.49 an hour, 26% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.86 and $36.28 an hour. About 1,030 work in the metro. That is 82.9 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 $39.91 an hour, which is 39% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $32.49 and $45.77 an hour. BLS counts 480 of them working in the area, 38.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Pipelayers (47-2151) carry 20% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Appleton metro, so we used the Wisconsin statewide median: $41.77 an hour against $23.56 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $38.94 and $44.98 an hour.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($36.28 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $120. At the 25th percentile ($21.86) it shrinks by about $100. The total moves by 7.6% or 6.5%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 124,230 jobs in the Appleton area. That makes it the 174th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.08% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $21.86 | $28.49 | $36.28 | $22.66 | 1.26 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $32.49 | $39.91 | $45.77 | $28.78 | 1.39 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $38.94 | $41.77 | $44.98 | $23.56 | 1.77 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.40 | |||||
Why two Appleton quotes can differ
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.
Planning more than one job in Appleton?
Because every project leans on different trades, Appleton's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sprinkler system runs +16% and sod installation +4%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $8,100 – $14,500 | +10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,850 – $11,500 | +13% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,550 – $3,400 | +4% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,650 – $5,450 | +6% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,600 – $11,600 | +16% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $41,100 – $128,000 | +14% |
Climate in Appleton: timing your French drain job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Appleton (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
April through October is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Appleton (7 of 12 months). January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March, 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 157 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Appleton gets about 33 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 49 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and July (4.7 inches in June). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.2 and 2.8 inches. The station averages about 6 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 | 25 | 10 | 1.4 | Cold |
| Feb | 29 | 12 | 1.1 | Cold |
| Mar | 41 | 22 | 1.9 | Cold |
| Apr | 54 | 34 | 3.2 | Workable |
| May | 67 | 46 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 77 | 57 | 4.7 | Workable |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 79 | 60 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | Workable |
| Nov | 43 | 28 | 2.1 | Cold |
| Dec | 31 | 17 | 1.8 | Cold |
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French drain in Appleton: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Appleton?
For 60 linear ft, expect $710 to $2,450 in the Appleton area. A standard-spec job lands at $1,250 to $1,950. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Appleton?
About $12 to $41 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 Appleton or Oshkosh?
Oshkosh is 20 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,500, which is 5% less than Appleton ($1,600). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Appleton?
About 62% at the midpoint, or $980 out of $1,600. Materials are 38% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Appleton?
$710 to $2,450. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Appleton?
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 Appleton area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Appleton expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Wisconsin?
Appleton is 3% above the Wisconsin statewide estimate ($1,550 at the midpoint). We cover 12 metros in Wisconsin; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Appleton?
The BLS median is $28.49 an hour in the Appleton area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $21.86 to $36.28.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Appleton?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $710 to $1,400 and premium work $1,750 to $2,450. 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 Appleton?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through October. September and October 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 Appleton
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.