Gravel driveway cost in Dallas, TX
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (1,000 sq ft)
- $2,400 – $9,850
- Per sq ft
- $2.40 – $9.60
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −4%
- US $6,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #175
- 1 = most expensive
Dallas homeowners pay roughly $2,400 to $9,850 to install a gravel driveway at 1,000 sq ft, or $2.40 to $9.60 per sq ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Dallas is 4% lower. Construction laborers earn a median of $21.14 an hour in the Dallas area, 7% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 1,000 sq ft in Dallas, TX, standard level
$4,650 to $7,600
About $4.55 to $7.45 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,400 | $3,950 |
| Labor | $2,150 | $3,500 |
| Permits and fees | $60 | $140 |
| Total | $4,650 | $7,600 |
Cost breakdown for 1,000 sq ft in Dallas, TX
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,250 | $3,200 | $5,150 | 52% |
| Labor | $1,150 | $2,800 | $4,500 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $100 | $210 | 2% |
| Total | $2,400 | $6,100 | $9,850 | 100% |
What is behind the Dallas number
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 2 trades: construction laborers at 50%, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators at 50%. Weighted together, Dallas wages are 0.90 times the national level. Labor makes up about 46% of the midpoint estimate (50% at national prices).
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Dallas metro is 102.8 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 1,000 sq ft comes to $3,200, compared with $3,100 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (103.1) and land at $0 to $210.
When to schedule gravel driveway in Dallas
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Dallas Love Fld (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
October through May is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Dallas (8 of 12 months). June, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
Dallas gets about 38 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 2 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and October (4.8 inches in October). Inside the workable window, January and February are the driest, at 2.6 and 2.8 inches. The station averages about 108 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 | 58 | 38 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Feb | 62 | 42 | 2.8 | Workable |
| Mar | 70 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Apr | 77 | 57 | 3.1 | Workable |
| May | 85 | 66 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 93 | 74 | 3.8 | Hot |
| Jul | 97 | 78 | 1.7 | Hot |
| Aug | 97 | 77 | 2.2 | Hot |
| Sep | 90 | 70 | 3.1 | Hot |
| Oct | 80 | 59 | 4.8 | Workable |
| Nov | 68 | 48 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 59 | 40 | 3.2 | Workable |
Extras that change the Dallas total
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Dallas by the average of the local wage index (0.90) and goods index (1.03), a factor of 0.96. Tick any of them in the estimator above to add them to your total. Treat these as planning figures: an add-on touches different trades than the main job, so the scaling is an approximation.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add edging (approx. 1 ft per 10 sq ft) | $480 – $1,750 |
Local wages behind the labor line
Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 2 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Dallas is 0.90 times the national level.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 50% of the weighting: a median of $21.14 an hour, 7% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.19 and $22.79 an hour. About 29,670 work in the metro. That is 73.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 50%) the local median is $24.70 an hour, which is 14% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.95 and $29.04 an hour. BLS counts 11,510 of them working in the area, 28.4 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the construction laborers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($22.79 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $110. At the 25th percentile ($18.19) it shrinks by about $210. The total moves by 1.9% or 3.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 4,049,800 jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area. That makes it the 4th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 2.60% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $18.19 | $21.14 | $22.79 | $22.66 | 0.93 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 50% | $22.95 | $24.70 | $29.04 | $28.78 | 0.86 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.90 | |||||
How Dallas compares
Of the five closest metros, all are cheaper than Dallas. Tyler is the lowest at about $5,500 (midpoint, 1,000 sq ft), 105 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas, TXthis page | $2,400 – $9,850 | $6,100 | |
| Waco, TX90 miles | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −10% |
| Tyler, TX105 miles | $2,150 – $8,800 | $5,500 | −10% |
| Killeen, TX125 miles | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −10% |
| Longview, TX135 miles | $2,150 – $8,900 | $5,500 | −10% |
| College Station, TX145 miles | $2,150 – $8,850 | $5,500 | −10% |
| Texas (statewide) | $2,300 – $9,350 | $5,800 | −5% |
| United States | $2,500 – $10,200 | $6,350 | +4% |
Across 300 US metros, Dallas comes in at #175 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $9,500; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $5,200 (midpoints, 1,000 sq ft). Statewide, Dallas is 5% above the Texas figure.
Other Texas metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $2,350 – $9,550 | $5,950 | −3% |
| Austin, TX | 1,293,690 jobs | $2,300 – $9,350 | $5,800 | −5% |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,126,880 jobs | $2,200 – $9,000 | $5,600 | −8% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $2,100 – $8,650 | $5,400 | −12% |
| McAllen, TX | 296,700 jobs | $2,050 – $8,350 | $5,200 | −15% |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 192,580 jobs | $2,250 – $9,150 | $5,700 | −7% |
Cities with a workforce like Dallas's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Dallas against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 4,513,280 jobs | $3,250 – $13,100 | $8,200 | +34% |
| Houston, TX | 3,289,720 jobs | $2,350 – $9,550 | $5,950 | −3% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 6,271,560 jobs | $3,100 – $12,600 | $7,850 | +28% |
| Washington, DC | 3,136,190 jobs | $2,600 – $10,600 | $6,550 | +7% |
Related projects, priced for Dallas
Because every project leans on different trades, Dallas's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, sod installation runs −1% and concrete driveway −8%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,000 – $7,250 | −2% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,400 – $8,450 | −8% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $580 – $2,050 | −3% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,500 – $3,300 | −1% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,350 – $5,050 | −4% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,950 – $5,350 | −2% |
Why two Dallas 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.
Pick a size, pick a tier: gravel driveway pricing in Dallas
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Dallas 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 4 common sizes.
Basic
$2,400 to $5,350
Crusher-run spread and compacted on firm ground
Standard
$4,650 to $7,600
Excavated base plus top course, fabric, light grading
Premium
$6,850 to $9,850
Deep multi-layer build, edging, culvert or drainage
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| single car (500 sq ft) | $1,200 – $2,750 | $2,350 – $3,850 | $3,500 – $5,000 |
| two car (1,000 sq ft) | $2,400 – $5,350 | $4,650 – $7,600 | $6,850 – $9,850 |
| 100 ft x 10 ft (1,000 sq ft) | $2,400 – $5,350 | $4,650 – $7,600 | $6,850 – $9,850 |
| long rural (2,000 sq ft) | $4,800 – $10,700 | $9,200 – $15,100 | $13,600 – $19,400 |
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Gravel driveway in Dallas: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a gravel driveway in Dallas?
For 1,000 sq ft, expect $2,400 to $9,850 in the Dallas area. A standard-spec job lands at $4,650 to $7,600. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for gravel driveway in Dallas?
About $2.40 to $9.60 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $210 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $2.50 to $10.
+Is gravel driveway cheaper in Dallas or Waco?
Waco is 90 miles away. The midpoint for 1,000 sq ft there is $5,500, which is 10% less than Dallas ($6,100). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Dallas?
About 46% at the midpoint, or $2,800 out of $6,100. Materials are 52% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 50%.
+What would 100 ft x 10 ft (1,000 sq ft) cost in Dallas?
$2,400 to $9,850. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does gravel driveway need a permit in Dallas?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $210 for fees in the Dallas area (our national range of $0 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Dallas expensive for gravel driveway compared with the rest of Texas?
Dallas is 5% above the Texas statewide estimate ($5,800 at the midpoint). We cover 21 metros in Texas; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Dallas?
The BLS median is $21.14 an hour in the Dallas area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $18.19 to $22.79.
+What do basic and premium gravel driveway work cost in Dallas?
For 1,000 sq ft, basic work runs $2,400 to $5,350 and premium work $6,850 to $9,850. 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 Dallas?
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.
+What does "add edging" add in Dallas?
$480 to $1,750 for 1,000 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Gravel driveway near Dallas
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.