Retaining wall cost in Montana
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (200 sq ft of wall face)
- $6,850 – $13,000
- Per sq ft of wall face
- $34 – $63
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −3%
- US $10,300
- Metros covered
- 3
What does it cost to build a retaining wall in Montana? Plan on $6,850 to $13,000 for 200 sq ft of wall face. Wages (0.97x the US blend), materials (price index 96.0) and permit costs (94.6) put the state below the national midpoint by 3%.
Inside Montana, the metros we cover range from $9,900 (Billings) to $10,200 (Bozeman) at the midpoint. Pick your closest city in the table for a tighter number.
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Estimated cost for 200 sq ft of wall face in Montana (statewide), standard level
$8,650 to $11,100
About $42.50 to $54 per sq ft of wall face before permits. Labor is about 46% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,150 | $6,050 |
| Labor | $4,400 | $4,750 |
| Permits and fees | $160 | $310 |
| Total | $8,650 | $11,100 |
Cost breakdown for 200 sq ft of wall face in Montana
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,700 | $5,100 | $7,500 | 51% |
| Labor | $4,100 | $4,600 | $5,050 | 46% |
| Permits and fees | $45 | $240 | $430 | 2% |
| Total | $6,850 | $9,900 | $13,000 | 100% |
Why two Montana quotes can differ
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.
Montana versus the states around it
Montana ranks 32 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for retaining wall, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $13,300 and the cheapest New Mexico at $9,000, both for 200 sq ft of wall face at the midpoint. Montana sits at $9,900. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 270 miles away | $7,000 – $13,200 | $10,100 | +2% |
| Utah | 400 miles away | $6,900 – $13,100 | $10,000 | +1% |
| Wyoming | 460 miles away | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,900 | level |
| Washington | 500 miles away | $8,500 – $15,400 | $12,000 | +21% |
| Colorado | 550 miles away | $7,200 – $13,600 | $10,400 | +5% |
Montana labor market for retaining wall
Montana's labor line is priced from 3 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 0.97 times the national level.
For brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021, weighted 50%) the local median is $26.94 an hour, which is 10% below the national $29.87. The middle half of them earn between $23.24 and $29.69 an hour. BLS counts 140 of them working in the state, 2.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 3.4), so the local bench is thinner than average.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $23.96 an hour, which is 6% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $20.80 and $28.24 an hour. BLS counts 4,590 of them working in the state, 89.7 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), 20% of the weighting: a median of $29.61 an hour, in line with the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $27.07 and $34.68 an hour. About 3,750 work in the state. That is 73.3 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 brickmasons and blockmasons ($29.69 an hour) would add about $220 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($23.24) would take off about $290. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 511,580 jobs across Montana (May 2025), which is 0.3% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) | 50% | $23.24 | $26.94 | $29.69 | $29.87 | 0.90 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $20.80 | $23.96 | $28.24 | $22.66 | 1.06 | state |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 20% | $27.07 | $29.61 | $34.68 | $28.78 | 1.03 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.97 | |||||
Related projects, priced for Montana
Each project weights the trades differently, so Montana's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, sprinkler system is +5% and French drain level.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $600 – $2,100 | level |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,000 – $5,450 | level |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,700 – $9,450 | +3% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,550 – $3,450 | +4% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $4,200 – $10,500 | +5% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $36,100 – $113,000 | level |
Weather windows across Montana
Weather decides when digging and ground work can happen, and Montana 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.
Billings has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Montana at 7 months (April through October); Missoula has the shortest at 5 (May through September). Rainfall runs from 14 inches a year in Missoula to 20 inches in Bozeman.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | 18 | 87 | 14 | 7: April through October |
| Bozeman | 15 | 82 | 20 | 5: May through September |
| Missoula | 18 | 85 | 14 | 5: May through September |
Basic, standard or premium: Montana 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 short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face to 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face).
Basic
$6,850 to $9,300
Short block wall, easy access
Standard
$8,650 to $11,100
Standard segmental block wall with drainage
Premium
$10,500 to $13,000
Tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face | $3,450 – $4,750 | $4,400 – $5,700 | $5,400 – $6,700 |
| 20 ft x 4 ft (80 sq ft of wall face) | $2,750 – $3,850 | $3,550 – $4,650 | $4,350 – $5,450 |
| 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) | $5,450 – $7,450 | $6,950 – $8,950 | $8,450 – $10,500 |
| 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face) | $8,200 – $11,100 | $10,400 – $13,300 | $12,600 – $15,500 |
Montana metro-by-metro prices
1 of the 3 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $9,900, and the top-to-bottom gap is 3%. 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 (200 sq ft of wall face) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bozeman, MT | $7,050 – $13,300 | $10,200 | +3% |
| Missoula, MT | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,950 | level |
| Billings, MT | $6,800 – $13,000 | $9,900 | level |
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Retaining wall in Montana: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a retaining wall in Montana?
$6,850 to $13,000 for 200 sq ft of wall face, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside Montana can sit above or below that.
+Which city in Montana is cheapest for retaining wall?
Billings at about $9,900 (midpoint, 200 sq ft of wall face). The priciest is Bozeman at $10,200.
+Is retaining wall cheaper in Montana than the US average?
It is 3% cheaper: $9,900 against $10,300 for 200 sq ft of wall face at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in Montana?
About 46% ($4,600). Materials are 51%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 0.97x the national wage level.
+What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Montana?
The BLS statewide median is $26.94 an hour, against $29.87 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.24 to $29.69.
+Where does Montana rank for retaining wall costs?
32nd most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $9,900 for 200 sq ft of wall face. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium retaining wall work cost in Montana?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, basic work runs $6,850 to $9,300 and premium work $10,500 to $13,000. Basic means: short block wall, easy access. Premium means: tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access.
+Does the season matter for retaining wall in Montana?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the Montana metros we cover, Billings has the most comfortable months (7 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.
Retaining wall by city in Montana
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.