Retaining wall cost in Anchorage, AK
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (200 sq ft of wall face)
- $7,750 – $14,600
- Per sq ft of wall face
- $38.50 – $71
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +9%
- US $10,300
- Rank of 300 metros
- #71
- 1 = most expensive
Anchorage homeowners pay roughly $7,750 to $14,600 to build a retaining wall at 200 sq ft of wall face, or $38.50 to $71 per sq ft of wall face (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Anchorage is 9% higher. Brickmasons and blockmasons earn a median of $29.87 an hour in the Anchorage area, 0% above the US median of $29.87.
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Estimated cost for 200 sq ft of wall face in Anchorage, AK, standard level
$9,800 to $12,600
About $48 to $61 per sq ft of wall face before permits. Labor is about 47% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,600 | $6,750 |
| Labor | $5,000 | $5,450 |
| Permits and fees | $180 | $350 |
| Total | $9,800 | $12,600 |
Cost breakdown for 200 sq ft of wall face in Anchorage, AK
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $3,000 | $5,700 | $8,350 | 51% |
| Labor | $4,700 | $5,250 | $5,800 | 47% |
| Permits and fees | $55 | $260 | $470 | 2% |
| Total | $7,750 | $11,200 | $14,600 | 100% |
What is behind the Anchorage number
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 3 trades: brickmasons and blockmasons at 50%, construction laborers at 30%, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators at 20%. Weighted together, Anchorage wages are 1.11 times the national level. Labor makes up about 47% of the midpoint estimate (46% at national prices). BLS does not publish this trade for the area, so we used the national median.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Anchorage metro is 107.3 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 200 sq ft of wall face comes to $5,700, compared with $5,300 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (105.4) and land at $55 to $470.
Data note: 50% of the labor weighting for this project uses a national median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Anchorage. The wage table below marks each row.
Local wages behind the labor line
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 Anchorage is 1.11 times the national level.
Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) carry 50% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Anchorage metro, so we used the national median: $29.87 an hour against $29.87 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $24.57 and $38.15 an hour.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $27.00 an hour, 19% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.90 and $34.85 an hour. About 1,860 work in the metro. That is 105.1 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 20%) the local median is $36.79 an hour, which is 28% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $32.05 and $46.54 an hour. BLS counts 980 of them working in the area, 55.4 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the brickmasons and blockmasons on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($38.15 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $650. At the 25th percentile ($24.57) it shrinks by about $420. The total moves by 5.8% or 3.7%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 177,050 jobs in the Anchorage area. That makes it the 131st largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.11% of US employment.
| 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% | $22.90 | $27.00 | $34.85 | $22.66 | 1.19 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 20% | $32.05 | $36.79 | $46.54 | $28.78 | 1.28 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.11 | |||||
Pick a size, pick a tier: retaining wall pricing in Anchorage
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Anchorage 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
$7,750 to $10,500
Short block wall, easy access
Standard
$9,800 to $12,600
Standard segmental block wall with drainage
Premium
$11,900 to $14,600
Tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face | $3,900 – $5,350 | $5,000 – $6,450 | $6,100 – $7,550 |
| 20 ft x 4 ft (80 sq ft of wall face) | $3,100 – $4,350 | $4,050 – $5,250 | $4,950 – $6,150 |
| 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) | $6,200 – $8,450 | $7,900 – $10,100 | $9,550 – $11,800 |
| 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face) | $9,250 – $12,500 | $11,700 – $15,000 | $14,200 – $17,500 |
When to schedule retaining wall in Anchorage
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Eagle Rvr Nature Ctr (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
May through September is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Anchorage (5 of 12 months). January, February, March, April, October, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January, February, March, April, October, 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 204 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Anchorage gets about 23 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are August, September and October (3.6 inches in September). Inside the workable window, May and June are the driest, at 0.9 and 1.3 inches.
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 | 21 | 6 | 2.3 | Cold |
| Feb | 28 | 12 | 1.6 | Cold |
| Mar | 35 | 15 | 1.6 | Cold |
| Apr | 47 | 27 | 0.8 | Cold |
| May | 58 | 36 | 0.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 65 | 44 | 1.3 | Workable |
| Jul | 67 | 48 | 1.7 | Workable |
| Aug | 65 | 45 | 2.6 | Workable |
| Sep | 56 | 37 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Oct | 42 | 26 | 2.5 | Cold |
| Nov | 26 | 13 | 1.7 | Cold |
| Dec | 23 | 9 | 2.0 | Cold |
Planning more than one job in Anchorage?
Because every project leans on different trades, Anchorage's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, concrete driveway runs +31% and paver patio +11%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $680 – $2,350 | +13% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,350 – $6,050 | +11% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $4,650 – $12,100 | +31% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,700 – $3,750 | +14% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,800 – $12,000 | +20% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $41,300 – $129,000 | +14% |
How Anchorage compares
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 200 sq ft of wall face range from $11,200 to $12,800 across Anchorage and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AKthis page | $7,750 – $14,600 | $11,200 | |
| Bellingham, WA1410 miles | $8,650 – $15,700 | $12,200 | +9% |
| Bremerton, WA1450 miles | $8,350 – $15,300 | $11,800 | +6% |
| Seattle, WA1480 miles | $9,200 – $16,300 | $12,800 | +14% |
| Olympia, WA1485 miles | $8,650 – $15,700 | $12,200 | +9% |
| Spokane, WA1570 miles | $8,050 – $14,900 | $11,500 | +2% |
| Alaska (statewide) | $7,750 – $14,600 | $11,200 | level |
| United States | $7,050 – $13,500 | $10,300 | −8% |
Across 300 US metros, Anchorage comes in at #71 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $13,500; the cheapest is El Paso, TX at $8,850 (midpoints, 200 sq ft of wall face). Statewide, Anchorage is 0% below the Alaska figure.
Anchorage is the only Alaska metro we cover, so the statewide page is the only in-state comparison. It uses statewide wages, which include rural areas.
Cities with a workforce like Anchorage's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Anchorage against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD | 178,590 jobs | $6,900 – $13,000 | $9,950 | −11% |
| Reading, PA | 174,670 jobs | $7,400 – $13,900 | $10,700 | −5% |
| Lafayette, LA | 179,570 jobs | $6,350 – $12,200 | $9,300 | −17% |
| Green Bay, WI | 174,550 jobs | $7,600 – $13,800 | $10,700 | −4% |
Retaining wall: what moves the price in Anchorage
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.
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 $9,800 to $12,600 for Anchorage, AK is attached.
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Retaining wall in Anchorage: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a retaining wall in Anchorage?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, expect $7,750 to $14,600 in the Anchorage area. A standard-spec job lands at $9,800 to $12,600. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft of wall face and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft of wall face for retaining wall in Anchorage?
About $38.50 to $71 per sq ft of wall face for materials and labor, plus $55 to $470 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $35 to $65.
+Is retaining wall cheaper in Anchorage or Bellingham?
Bellingham is 1410 miles away. The midpoint for 200 sq ft of wall face there is $12,200, which is 9% more than Anchorage ($11,200). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Anchorage?
About 47% at the midpoint, or $5,250 out of $11,200. Materials are 51% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 46%.
+What would 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) cost in Anchorage?
$6,200 to $11,800. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does retaining wall need a permit in Anchorage?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $55 to $470 for fees in the Anchorage area (our national range of $50 to $450 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Anchorage expensive for retaining wall compared with the rest of Alaska?
Anchorage is 0% below the Alaska statewide estimate ($11,200 at the midpoint).
+What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Anchorage?
BLS has no published metro figure here, so we use the national median of $29.87 an hour, compared with $29.87 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $24.57 to $38.15.
+What do basic and premium retaining wall work cost in Anchorage?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, basic work runs $7,750 to $10,500 and premium work $11,900 to $14,600. Basic means: short block wall, easy access. Premium means: tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access.
+When is the best time to build a retaining wall in Anchorage?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are May through September. May and June are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
Retaining wall near Anchorage
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.