Retaining wall cost: national prices and local ranges
Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- US range (200 sq ft of wall face)
- $7,050 – $13,500
- Per sq ft of wall face
- $35 – $65
- materials and labor
- Cheapest metro
- $8,850
- El Paso, TX
- Priciest metro
- $13,500
- Kahului, HI
A retaining wall runs $7,050 to $13,500 nationally for 200 sq ft of wall face, or $35 to $65 per sq ft of wall face for materials and labor. Where you live moves that number a lot: across 300 metros the midpoint runs from $8,850 in El Paso, TX to $13,500 in Kahului, HI.
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Estimated cost for 200 sq ft of wall face in the US average, standard level
$8,950 to $11,500
About $44 to $56 per sq ft of wall face before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,300 | $6,300 |
| Labor | $4,500 | $4,900 |
| Permits and fees | $170 | $330 |
| Total | $8,950 | $11,500 |
Cost breakdown for 200 sq ft of wall face in the US
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,800 | $5,300 | $7,800 | 52% |
| Labor | $4,200 | $4,700 | $5,200 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $250 | $450 | 2% |
| Total | $7,050 | $10,300 | $13,500 | 100% |
What basic, standard and premium mean
Basic
$7,050 to $9,600
Short block wall, easy access
Standard
$8,950 to $11,500
Standard segmental block wall with drainage
Premium
$10,900 to $13,500
Tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access
Cost by size and quality level
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face | $3,550 – $4,900 | $4,550 – $5,950 | $5,600 – $6,950 |
| 20 ft x 4 ft (80 sq ft of wall face) | $2,850 – $3,950 | $3,700 – $4,800 | $4,550 – $5,650 |
| 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) | $5,650 – $7,750 | $7,200 – $9,300 | $8,750 – $10,900 |
| 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face) | $8,450 – $11,500 | $10,700 – $13,800 | $13,000 – $16,100 |
How a retaining wall job goes, step by step
- Check height limits and engineering. Many places require an engineer's stamp above about three or four feet. Ask your building office.
- Excavate and build the base. Walls need a buried base course of compacted stone. A trench with a level base keeps the wall straight.
- Stack blocks and backfill. Blocks are laid in courses with drainage stone behind and a perforated pipe at the base. Geogrid reinforcement is used on taller walls.
- Cap and grade. Capstones finish the wall; soil is regraded so water runs away rather than behind it.
What changes the price of a retaining wall
Height
Walls over 4 feet need engineering, deeper excavation and more skilled labor; many cities require permits over 3-4 feet (HomeGuide).
Material
Block, poured concrete and natural stone are priced differently; concrete and stone walls run higher than the segmental block default.
Drainage
Every wall needs drainage behind it. A French drain adds $10-$85+ per linear foot.
Rebuilding
Replacing an old wall adds $15-$30 per linear foot for demolition plus disposal.
Permit
Permits cost $50-$450 depending on location and wall size.
Wages behind the national estimate
Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) do the largest share of the work, about 50% of the weighting. Their national median is $29.87 an hour. Among 150 metros with a published figure, the median runs from $21.11 in Albuquerque, NM to $47.10 in Minneapolis, MN, and the middle metro sits at $30.38. That ratio between the high and low end is 2.23 to 1, and it feeds straight into the labor line of the estimate.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) | 50% | $24.57 | $29.87 | $38.15 | $29.87 | 1.00 | US |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $18.57 | $22.66 | $28.72 | $22.66 | 1.00 | US |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 20% | $23.40 | $28.78 | $37.10 | $28.78 | 1.00 | US |
| Blended | 100% | 1.00 | |||||
Does the season matter for retaining wall?
We checked NOAA 1991-2020 normals for 300 metros and counted the months with no freezing or heat problem for digging and ground work. 25 metros have all 12 months comfortable; the median metro has 8. The shortest seasons are in Anchorage, AK (5), Bozeman, MT (5), Flagstaff, AZ (5) and Grand Junction, CO (5). The wettest metro is Pensacola; the driest is El Centro at about 3 inches a year.
Local pages show a month-by-month table for each metro. We do not change prices by month, because there is no reliable published seasonal price series.
How much the price varies by city
Across the 300 metros we cover, the midpoint for 200 sq ft of wall face runs from $8,850 in El Paso to $13,500 in Kahului, a gap of 53%. The median metro is $10,100, which is −2% against the national midpoint of $10,300. 61 metros are 10% or more above the national figure, 51 are 10% or more below, and 188 sit within 10% of it.
Most expensive metros for retaining wall
| Metro | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului, HI | $9,750 – $17,300 | $13,500 |
| Honolulu, HI | $9,650 – $17,200 | $13,400 |
| San Francisco, CA | $9,400 – $16,800 | $13,100 |
| New York, NY | $9,250 – $16,600 | $12,900 |
| Chicago, IL | $9,150 – $16,400 | $12,800 |
| Seattle, WA | $9,200 – $16,300 | $12,800 |
| San Jose, CA | $9,150 – $16,300 | $12,700 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $9,100 – $16,100 | $12,600 |
| Boston, MA | $8,900 – $15,800 | $12,300 |
| Olympia, WA | $8,650 – $15,700 | $12,200 |
Least expensive metros for retaining wall
| Metro | Range | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| El Paso, TX | $5,900 – $11,700 | $8,850 |
| Jonesboro, AR | $5,950 – $11,800 | $8,900 |
| College Station, TX | $5,950 – $11,800 | $8,900 |
| Dothan, AL | $5,950 – $11,900 | $8,900 |
| Lubbock, TX | $6,000 – $11,800 | $8,900 |
| Dalton, GA | $5,950 – $11,900 | $8,950 |
| McAllen, TX | $6,050 – $11,900 | $8,950 |
| Las Cruces, NM | $6,000 – $11,900 | $8,950 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | $6,000 – $11,900 | $8,950 |
| Brownsville, TX | $6,100 – $11,900 | $9,000 |
Retaining wall cost by state
| State | Range (200 sq ft of wall face) | Midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $6,100 – $12,000 | $9,050 |
| Alaska | $7,750 – $14,600 | $11,200 |
| Arizona | $6,800 – $13,000 | $9,900 |
| Arkansas | $6,150 – $12,000 | $9,100 |
| California | $8,200 – $15,200 | $11,700 |
| Colorado | $7,200 – $13,600 | $10,400 |
| Connecticut | $7,750 – $14,200 | $11,000 |
| Delaware | $7,000 – $13,300 | $10,100 |
| District of Columbia | $7,600 – $14,500 | $11,000 |
| Florida | $6,450 – $12,600 | $9,550 |
| Georgia | $6,250 – $12,400 | $9,300 |
| Hawaii | $9,550 – $17,100 | $13,300 |
| Idaho | $7,000 – $13,200 | $10,100 |
| Illinois | $9,000 – $16,000 | $12,500 |
| Indiana | $7,650 – $14,000 | $10,800 |
| Iowa | $7,150 – $13,300 | $10,200 |
| Kansas | $6,600 – $12,600 | $9,600 |
| Kentucky | $6,800 – $12,900 | $9,850 |
| Louisiana | $6,350 – $12,300 | $9,300 |
| Maine | $6,250 – $12,300 | $9,300 |
| Maryland | $7,050 – $13,600 | $10,300 |
| Massachusetts | $8,800 – $15,600 | $12,200 |
| Michigan | $7,100 – $13,300 | $10,200 |
| Minnesota | $8,800 – $15,600 | $12,200 |
| Mississippi | $6,050 – $12,000 | $9,050 |
| Missouri | $7,550 – $13,900 | $10,700 |
| Montana | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,900 |
| Nebraska | $6,850 – $12,900 | $9,850 |
| Nevada | $7,100 – $13,400 | $10,200 |
| New Hampshire | $7,300 – $13,700 | $10,500 |
| New Jersey | $8,650 – $15,700 | $12,200 |
| New Mexico | $6,000 – $12,000 | $9,000 |
| New York | $8,550 – $15,600 | $12,100 |
| North Carolina | $6,350 – $12,400 | $9,350 |
| North Dakota | $7,600 – $13,900 | $10,800 |
| Ohio | $7,500 – $13,700 | $10,600 |
| Oklahoma | $6,100 – $12,000 | $9,050 |
| Oregon | $8,050 – $15,000 | $11,500 |
| Pennsylvania | $7,350 – $13,800 | $10,600 |
| Rhode Island | $7,850 – $14,400 | $11,100 |
| South Carolina | $6,250 – $12,300 | $9,250 |
| South Dakota | $6,800 – $12,900 | $9,850 |
| Tennessee | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,900 |
| Texas | $6,500 – $12,700 | $9,600 |
| Utah | $6,900 – $13,100 | $10,000 |
| Vermont | $6,900 – $13,200 | $10,000 |
| Virginia | $6,700 – $13,000 | $9,850 |
| Washington | $8,500 – $15,400 | $12,000 |
| West Virginia | $6,200 – $12,200 | $9,200 |
| Wisconsin | $7,950 – $14,300 | $11,100 |
| Wyoming | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,900 |
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Retaining wall cost: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a retaining wall?
$7,050 to $13,500 for 200 sq ft of wall face at national prices, including a permit of $50 to $450.
+What is the average cost per sq ft of wall face?
$35 to $65 per sq ft of wall face, materials and labor. The mid-range is about $50.
+How much does the price vary by city?
A lot. The most expensive metro we cover is 53% above the cheapest for the same 200 sq ft of wall face job. The cheapest is El Paso, TX; the priciest is Kahului, HI.
+How much of the cost is labor?
About 46% at the national midpoint ($4,700). Materials are 52%.
+What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn on a retaining wall job?
The national BLS median is $29.87 an hour for brickmasons and blockmasons, with the middle half earning $24.57 to $38.15. Local wages are what move this estimate from town to town.
+How much more does a premium retaining wall job cost than a basic one?
At the national level, basic runs $7,050 to $9,600 and premium $10,900 to $13,500 for 200 sq ft of wall face. Basic means: short block wall, easy access. Premium means: tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access.
+Can retaining wall work be done in winter?
It depends on where you are. We checked NOAA 1991-2020 normals for 300 metros and counted the months with no freezing or heat problem for digging and ground work. 25 metros have all 12 months comfortable; the median metro has 8. The shortest seasons are in Anchorage, AK (5), Bozeman, MT (5), Flagstaff, AZ (5) and Grand Junction, CO (5). The wettest metro is Pensacola; the driest is El Centro at about 3 inches a year.
Related projects
Largest metros: Retaining wall prices
- New York, NY$12,900 midpoint
- Los Angeles, CA$11,600 midpoint
- Chicago, IL$12,800 midpoint
- Dallas, TX$10,100 midpoint
- Houston, TX$9,750 midpoint
- Washington, DC$10,500 midpoint
- Philadelphia, PA$11,000 midpoint
- Atlanta, GA$9,750 midpoint
- Miami, FL$10,100 midpoint
- Boston, MA$12,300 midpoint
- Phoenix, AZ$9,950 midpoint
- San Francisco, CA$13,100 midpoint
- Seattle, WA$12,800 midpoint
- Minneapolis, MN$12,600 midpoint
- Detroit, MI$10,700 midpoint
- Riverside, CA$11,100 midpoint
- Denver, CO$10,900 midpoint
- San Diego, CA$11,400 midpoint
- Tampa, FL$9,600 midpoint
- Orlando, FL$9,300 midpoint
- Charlotte, NC$9,500 midpoint
- Baltimore, MD$10,200 midpoint
- St. Louis, MO$11,700 midpoint
- Austin, TX$9,600 midpoint
- Portland, OR$11,800 midpoint
- Las Vegas, NV$9,900 midpoint
- San Jose, CA$12,700 midpoint
- San Antonio, TX$9,300 midpoint
- Pittsburgh, PA$11,000 midpoint
- Columbus, OH$11,000 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 Retaining Wall Cost? (2026) (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 = 40% of the low installed price and 60% of the high one, since HomeGuide says labor is 40-60% of the total project cost.