Retaining wall cost in Sioux Falls, SD

Climate in Sioux Falls: timing your retaining wall job

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Sioux Falls (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

April through October is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Sioux Falls (7 of 12 months). January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).

In January, February, March, 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 162 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.

Sioux Falls gets about 28 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 45 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and August (4.2 inches in June). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 2.7 and 2.4 inches. The station averages about 15 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.

Specs and site conditions that change a Sioux Falls bid

• 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.

Sioux Falls: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Sioux Falls 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.

Is Sioux Falls cheap or dear? The local comparison

Of the five closest metros, 1 is cheaper than Sioux Falls. Lincoln is the lowest at about $9,700 (midpoint, 200 sq ft of wall face), 185 miles away.

Across 300 US metros, Sioux Falls comes in at #162 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, Sioux Falls is 1% above the South Dakota figure.

Other South Dakota metros

Cities with a workforce like Sioux Falls's

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Sioux Falls against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Related projects, priced for Sioux Falls

Because every project leans on different trades, Sioux Falls's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, French drain runs −2% and concrete driveway −8%.

Sioux Falls labor market for retaining wall

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 Sioux Falls is 1.00 times the national level.

Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021), 50% of the weighting: a median of $29.55 an hour, in line with the US median of $29.87. The middle half of them earn between $22.46 and $33.28 an hour. About 160 work in the metro. That is 9.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 3.4 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.53 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.79 and $23.83 an hour. About 700 work in the metro. That is 39.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 20%) the local median is $29.31 an hour, which is in line with the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $27.11 and $31.14 an hour. BLS counts 630 of them working in the area, 35.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the brickmasons and blockmasons on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($33.28 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $290. At the 25th percentile ($22.46) it shrinks by about $560. The total moves by 2.9% or 5.6%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 178,590 jobs in the Sioux Falls area. That makes it the 130th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.11% of US employment.