Gravel driveway cost in Texas
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (1,000 sq ft)
- $2,300 – $9,350
- Per sq ft
- $2.30 – $9.15
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −8%
- US $6,350
- Metros covered
- 21
What does it cost to install a gravel driveway in Texas? Plan on $2,300 to $9,350 for 1,000 sq ft. Wages (0.85x the US blend), materials (price index 98.1) and permit costs (97.1) put the state below the national midpoint by 8%.
Inside Texas, the metros we cover range from $5,200 (McAllen) to $6,100 (Dallas) at the midpoint. Pick your closest city in the table for a tighter number.
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Estimated cost for 1,000 sq ft in Texas (statewide), standard level
$4,400 to $7,250
About $4.35 to $7.10 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,300 | $3,800 |
| Labor | $2,050 | $3,300 |
| Permits and fees | $60 | $140 |
| Total | $4,400 | $7,250 |
Cost breakdown for 1,000 sq ft in Texas
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,200 | $3,050 | $4,900 | 52% |
| Labor | $1,100 | $2,700 | $4,250 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $95 | $190 | 2% |
| Total | $2,300 | $5,800 | $9,350 | 100% |
Weather windows across Texas
Weather decides when digging and ground work can happen, and Texas is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.
Texarkana has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Texas at 10 months (September through June); Amarillo has the shortest at 6 (March through May and September through November). Rainfall runs from 9 inches a year in El Paso to 65 inches in Beaumont.
We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.
| Metro | Jan avg low °F | Jul avg high °F | Precip (in/yr) | Comfortable months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 38 | 97 | 38 | 8: October through May |
| Houston | 46 | 93 | 56 | 9: September through May |
| Austin | 42 | 97 | 36 | 8: October through May |
| San Antonio | 41 | 95 | 32 | 8: October through May |
| El Paso | 35 | 96 | 9 | 9: September through May |
| McAllen | 53 | 99 | 22 | 7: October through April |
| Corpus Christi | 52 | 92 | 35 | 8: October through May |
| Lubbock | 30 | 93 | 19 | 6: March through May and September through November |
| Beaumont | 43 | 92 | 65 | 9: September through May |
| Brownsville | 53 | 95 | 27 | 7: October through April |
| Killeen | 36 | 96 | 35 | 8: October through May |
| College Station | 41 | 95 | 42 | 8: October through May |
| Waco | 36 | 97 | 36 | 8: October through May |
| Amarillo | 25 | 93 | 20 | 6: March through May and September through November |
| Midland | 33 | 96 | 14 | 9: September through May |
| Longview | 36 | 95 | 51 | 8: October through May |
| Tyler | 39 | 93 | 48 | 9: September through May |
| Laredo | 47 | 100 | 20 | 7: October through April |
| Odessa | 32 | 94 | 12 | 8: February through May and September through December |
| Abilene | 34 | 96 | 25 | 9: September through May |
| Texarkana | 33 | 93 | 52 | 10: September through June |
Texas labor market for gravel driveway
Texas's labor line is priced from 2 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 0.85 times the national level.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $19.53 an hour, which is 14% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.66 and $22.57 an hour. BLS counts 123,250 of them working in the state, 87.6 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), 50% of the weighting: a median of $24.26 an hour, 16% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.17 and $28.84 an hour. About 55,540 work in the state. That is 39.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for construction laborers ($22.57 an hour) would add about $210 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($17.66) would take off about $130. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 14,071,160 jobs across Texas (May 2025), which is 9.0% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.66 | $19.53 | $22.57 | $22.66 | 0.86 | state |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 50% | $22.17 | $24.26 | $28.84 | $28.78 | 0.84 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.85 | |||||
Texas versus the states around it
Texas ranks 43 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for gravel driveway, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $9,200 and the cheapest Arkansas at $5,400, both for 1,000 sq ft at the midpoint. Texas sits at $5,800. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 330 miles away | $2,200 – $8,950 | $5,550 | −4% |
| Louisiana | 360 miles away | $2,200 – $9,050 | $5,650 | −3% |
| Arkansas | 390 miles away | $2,150 – $8,700 | $5,400 | −7% |
| Mississippi | 450 miles away | $2,200 – $8,950 | $5,600 | −4% |
| Kansas | 490 miles away | $2,300 – $9,400 | $5,850 | +1% |
Basic, standard or premium: Texas prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from single car (500 sq ft) to long rural (2,000 sq ft).
Basic
$2,300 to $5,100
Crusher-run spread and compacted on firm ground
Standard
$4,400 to $7,250
Excavated base plus top course, fabric, light grading
Premium
$6,550 to $9,350
Deep multi-layer build, edging, culvert or drainage
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| single car (500 sq ft) | $1,150 – $2,600 | $2,250 – $3,700 | $3,300 – $4,800 |
| two car (1,000 sq ft) | $2,300 – $5,100 | $4,400 – $7,250 | $6,550 – $9,350 |
| 100 ft x 10 ft (1,000 sq ft) | $2,300 – $5,100 | $4,400 – $7,250 | $6,550 – $9,350 |
| long rural (2,000 sq ft) | $4,550 – $10,200 | $8,750 – $14,300 | $12,900 – $18,500 |
If you are planning more than one job in Texas
Each project weights the trades differently, so Texas's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, sod installation is −5% and concrete driveway −12%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt driveway | 600 sq ft | $2,850 – $6,900 | −7% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,250 – $8,100 | −12% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $550 – $1,950 | −8% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,150 | −5% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,800 | −8% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,800 – $5,050 | −7% |
Why two Texas quotes can differ
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.
Labor share
HomeGuide puts labor at about 50% of a gravel driveway's total cost, so a longer or harder-to-reach site moves the price more than the stone does.
Grading and edging
Grading runs $1-$3 per sq ft. Edging to keep the stone in is $5-$18 per linear foot.
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.
Add-ons priced for Texas
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.92 for Texas, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.85) and goods price index (0.98). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add edging (approx. 1 ft per 10 sq ft) | $460 – $1,650 |
Texas metro-by-metro prices
3 of the 21 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $5,800, and the top-to-bottom gap is 18%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (1,000 sq ft) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TX | $2,400 – $9,850 | $6,100 | +5% |
| Beaumont, TX | $2,350 – $9,600 | $5,950 | +3% |
| Houston, TX | $2,350 – $9,550 | $5,950 | +2% |
| Midland, TX | $2,300 – $9,400 | $5,850 | level |
| Austin, TX | $2,300 – $9,350 | $5,800 | level |
| Odessa, TX | $2,250 – $9,250 | $5,750 | −1% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $2,250 – $9,150 | $5,700 | −2% |
| San Antonio, TX | $2,200 – $9,000 | $5,600 | −4% |
| Abilene, TX | $2,200 – $8,950 | $5,550 | −4% |
| Amarillo, TX | $2,200 – $8,950 | $5,550 | −5% |
| Longview, TX | $2,150 – $8,900 | $5,500 | −5% |
| Waco, TX | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −5% |
| Killeen, TX | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −5% |
| College Station, TX | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −5% |
| Tyler, TX | $2,150 – $8,800 | $5,500 | −6% |
| Lubbock, TX | $2,150 – $8,750 | $5,450 | −6% |
| Texarkana, TX | $2,150 – $8,750 | $5,450 | −7% |
| El Paso, TX | $2,100 – $8,650 | $5,400 | −7% |
| Laredo, TX | $2,100 – $8,600 | $5,350 | −8% |
| Brownsville, TX | $2,050 – $8,400 | $5,200 | −10% |
| McAllen, TX | $2,050 – $8,350 | $5,200 | −11% |
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Gravel driveway in Texas: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a gravel driveway in Texas?
$2,300 to $9,350 for 1,000 sq ft, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside Texas can sit above or below that.
+Which city in Texas is cheapest for gravel driveway?
McAllen at about $5,200 (midpoint, 1,000 sq ft). The priciest is Dallas at $6,100.
+Is gravel driveway cheaper in Texas than the US average?
It is 8% cheaper: $5,800 against $6,350 for 1,000 sq ft at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in Texas?
About 46% ($2,700). Materials are 52%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 0.85x the national wage level.
+What do construction laborers earn in Texas?
The BLS statewide median is $19.53 an hour, against $22.66 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.66 to $22.57.
+Where does Texas rank for gravel driveway costs?
43rd most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $5,800 for 1,000 sq ft. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium gravel driveway work cost in Texas?
For 1,000 sq ft, basic work runs $2,300 to $5,100 and premium work $6,550 to $9,350. Basic means: crusher-run spread and compacted on firm ground. Premium means: deep multi-layer build, edging, culvert or drainage.
+Does the season matter for gravel driveway in Texas?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the Texas metros we cover, Texarkana has the most comfortable months (10 of 12) based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals. Our prices do not change by month, so ask contractors whether they charge more or less in busy and slow seasons.
+What does "add edging" add in Texas?
$460 to $1,650 for 1,000 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the statewide wage and goods indexes.
Gravel driveway by city in Texas
- Dallas, TX$6,100 midpoint
- Beaumont, TX$5,950 midpoint
- Houston, TX$5,950 midpoint
- Midland, TX$5,850 midpoint
- Austin, TX$5,800 midpoint
- Odessa, TX$5,750 midpoint
- Corpus Christi, TX$5,700 midpoint
- San Antonio, TX$5,600 midpoint
- Abilene, TX$5,550 midpoint
- Amarillo, TX$5,550 midpoint
- Longview, TX$5,500 midpoint
- Waco, TX$5,500 midpoint
- Killeen, TX$5,500 midpoint
- College Station, TX$5,500 midpoint
- Tyler, TX$5,500 midpoint
- Lubbock, TX$5,450 midpoint
- Texarkana, TX$5,450 midpoint
- El Paso, TX$5,400 midpoint
- Laredo, TX$5,350 midpoint
- Brownsville, TX$5,200 midpoint
- McAllen, TX$5,200 midpoint
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.