Gravel driveway cost in Akron, OH
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (1,000 sq ft)
- $2,650 – $10,700
- Per sq ft
- $2.65 – $10.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +5%
- US $6,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #90
- 1 = most expensive
Local price for a gravel driveway in the Akron area: $2,650 to $10,700 for 1,000 sq ft. The low end is a basic job on easy ground; the high end is a premium spec with harder access. The midpoint runs 5% higher than the US figure. Construction laborers earn a median of $28.28 an hour in the Akron area, 25% above the US median of $22.66.
Estimate your gravel driveway cost
Pick a size, a quality level and where you live. Prices update as you type.
Estimated cost for 1,000 sq ft in Akron, OH, standard level
$5,050 to $8,250
About $5 to $8.10 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 55% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,200 | $3,600 |
| Labor | $2,800 | $4,500 |
| Permits and fees | $55 | $130 |
| Total | $5,050 | $8,250 |
Cost breakdown for 1,000 sq ft in Akron, OH
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,100 | $2,900 | $4,700 | 44% |
| Labor | $1,500 | $3,650 | $5,800 | 55% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $95 | $190 | 1% |
| Total | $2,650 | $6,650 | $10,700 | 100% |
Why Akron prices look the way they do
Labor is 55% of the midpoint bill here, against 50% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is construction laborers (50%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (50%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Akron the blended ratio comes out at 1.16.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Akron is at 93.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $3,100 nationally becomes $2,900 here (midpoint, 1,000 sq ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 93.4: $0 to $190.
Extras that change the Akron total
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.05 for Akron, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.16) and goods price index (0.94). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add edging (approx. 1 ft per 10 sq ft) | $520 – $1,900 |
How Akron compares
Of the five closest metros, 4 are cheaper than Akron. Wheeling is the lowest at about $6,150 (midpoint, 1,000 sq ft), 85 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron, OHthis page | $2,650 – $10,700 | $6,650 | |
| Canton, OH30 miles | $2,500 – $10,200 | $6,350 | −4% |
| Youngstown, OH30 miles | $2,450 – $9,900 | $6,150 | −7% |
| Cleveland, OH35 miles | $2,700 – $10,900 | $6,800 | +2% |
| Wheeling, WV85 miles | $2,400 – $9,850 | $6,150 | −8% |
| Pittsburgh, PA90 miles | $2,600 – $10,500 | $6,550 | −1% |
| Ohio (statewide) | $2,600 – $10,600 | $6,600 | −1% |
| United States | $2,500 – $10,200 | $6,350 | −4% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Akron ranks #90 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Akron is 1% above the Ohio figure.
Elsewhere in Ohio
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | 1,105,580 jobs | $2,800 – $11,400 | $7,100 | +7% |
| Cincinnati, OH | 1,101,030 jobs | $2,600 – $10,600 | $6,600 | −1% |
| Cleveland, OH | 1,031,130 jobs | $2,700 – $10,900 | $6,800 | +2% |
| Dayton, OH | 372,660 jobs | $2,550 – $10,400 | $6,450 | −3% |
| Toledo, OH | 291,530 jobs | $2,500 – $10,200 | $6,400 | −4% |
| Canton, OH | 163,080 jobs | $2,500 – $10,200 | $6,350 | −4% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Akron against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oxnard, CA | 323,890 jobs | $3,000 – $12,100 | $7,550 | +13% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 316,060 jobs | $2,450 – $10,000 | $6,250 | −6% |
| Harrisburg, PA | 335,010 jobs | $2,550 – $10,300 | $6,400 | −3% |
| Wichita, KS | 308,570 jobs | $2,250 – $9,150 | $5,700 | −14% |
Gravel driveway: what moves the price in Akron
Stone is sold by weight
Stone is priced by the ton, so every extra inch of depth or foot of width adds loads of delivery.
Permit
A driveway permit is typically $50-$200 where one is needed for a new curb cut or connection; plenty of rural counties require none.
Depth and layers
A proper driveway is a 4-inch base plus a 2-inch top course. Each extra inch of stone adds weight in tons and money.
Who does the work: Akron trade wages
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 2 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 Akron the blend is 1.16.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $28.28 an hour, which is 25% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.50 and $37.65 an hour. BLS counts 1,830 of them working in the area, 57.3 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), 50% of the weighting: a median of $30.73 an hour, 7% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $25.42 and $44.95 an hour. About 830 work in the metro. That is 26.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $650 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $400. That is a swing of roughly 6.0% to 9.8% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Akron has 319,560 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 80th 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% | $22.50 | $28.28 | $37.65 | $22.66 | 1.25 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 50% | $25.42 | $30.73 | $44.95 | $28.78 | 1.07 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.16 | |||||
Cost by quality level and size in Akron
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Akron. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from single car (500 sq ft) to long rural (2,000 sq ft).
Basic
$2,650 to $5,850
Crusher-run spread and compacted on firm ground
Standard
$5,050 to $8,250
Excavated base plus top course, fabric, light grading
Premium
$7,450 to $10,700
Deep multi-layer build, edging, culvert or drainage
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| single car (500 sq ft) | $1,300 – $2,950 | $2,550 – $4,200 | $3,800 – $5,400 |
| two car (1,000 sq ft) | $2,650 – $5,850 | $5,050 – $8,250 | $7,450 – $10,700 |
| 100 ft x 10 ft (1,000 sq ft) | $2,650 – $5,850 | $5,050 – $8,250 | $7,450 – $10,700 |
| long rural (2,000 sq ft) | $5,250 – $11,600 | $10,000 – $16,400 | $14,800 – $21,100 |
Planning more than one job in Akron?
Jobs that often go together with gravel driveway are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Akron wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, French drain comes out highest (+9%) and sod installation lowest (−3%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,100 – $7,700 | +3% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,850 – $9,950 | +8% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $660 – $2,300 | +9% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,200 | −3% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,550 – $5,300 | +2% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,200 – $5,850 | +7% |
The best months for gravel driveway in Akron
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Akron Fulton 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 Akron 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 118 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Akron gets about 33 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are May, June and July (3.7 inches in June). Inside the workable window, October and November are the driest, at 2.5 and 2.3 inches. The station averages about 14 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 | 37 | 21 | 1.8 | Cold |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 1.4 | Cold |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 2.5 | Cold |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 2.8 | Workable |
| May | 73 | 51 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 3.7 | Workable |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.0 | Workable |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 65 | 44 | 2.5 | Workable |
| Nov | 52 | 35 | 2.3 | Workable |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 2.0 | Cold |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $5,050 to $8,250 for Akron, OH is attached.
Take this estimate with you: PDF report, $9
Multi-page report for Akron, OH: 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.
Gravel driveway in Akron: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a gravel driveway in Akron?
For 1,000 sq ft, expect $2,650 to $10,700 in the Akron area. A standard-spec job lands at $5,050 to $8,250. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for gravel driveway in Akron?
About $2.65 to $10.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $190 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $2.50 to $10.
+Is gravel driveway cheaper in Akron or Canton?
Canton is 30 miles away. The midpoint for 1,000 sq ft there is $6,350, which is 4% less than Akron ($6,650). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Akron?
About 55% at the midpoint, or $3,650 out of $6,650. Materials are 44% and permits 1%. Nationally, labor is 50%.
+What would 100 ft x 10 ft (1,000 sq ft) cost in Akron?
$2,650 to $10,700. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does gravel driveway need a permit in Akron?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $190 for fees in the Akron area (our national range of $0 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Akron expensive for gravel driveway compared with the rest of Ohio?
Akron is 1% above the Ohio statewide estimate ($6,600 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Ohio; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Akron?
The BLS median is $28.28 an hour in the Akron area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $22.50 to $37.65.
+What do basic and premium gravel driveway work cost in Akron?
For 1,000 sq ft, basic work runs $2,650 to $5,850 and premium work $7,450 to $10,700. Basic means: crusher-run spread and compacted on firm ground. Premium means: deep multi-layer build, edging, culvert or drainage.
+When is the best time to install a gravel driveway in Akron?
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.
+What does "add edging" add in Akron?
$520 to $1,900 for 1,000 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Gravel driveway near Akron
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 Gravel Driveway Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- CalculateGravel: Gravel Driveway Cost in 2026 (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (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: Installed range spans a basic spread-and-compact job ($2.50/sq ft low, CalculateGravel) to a full build with excavation ($10/sq ft high, HomeGuide). Materials low end is DIY stone ($1.20/sq ft, CalculateGravel); high end is half of HomeGuide's $10 because it says labor is about 50% of the project.