Retaining wall cost in Nashville, TN
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (200 sq ft of wall face)
- $7,000 – $13,200
- Per sq ft of wall face
- $35 – $64
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −1%
- US $10,300
- Rank of 300 metros
- #142
- 1 = most expensive
Nashville homeowners pay roughly $7,000 to $13,200 to build a retaining wall at 200 sq ft of wall face, or $35 to $64 per sq ft of wall face (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Nashville is almost level. Building materials run about 4% below the US average here (BEA goods price index 96.2).
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Estimated cost for 200 sq ft of wall face in Nashville, TN, standard level
$8,850 to $11,400
About $43.50 to $55 per sq ft of wall face before permits. Labor is about 47% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $4,150 | $6,050 |
| Labor | $4,550 | $5,000 |
| Permits and fees | $160 | $320 |
| Total | $8,850 | $11,400 |
Cost breakdown for 200 sq ft of wall face in Nashville, TN
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,700 | $5,100 | $7,500 | 50% |
| Labor | $4,250 | $4,750 | $5,300 | 47% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $240 | $430 | 2% |
| Total | $7,000 | $10,100 | $13,200 | 100% |
Why Nashville prices look the way they do
The wage side of the estimate leans on brickmasons and blockmasons, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $31.91 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Nashville is 1.02 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 47% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Nashville metro is 96.2 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 200 sq ft of wall face comes to $5,100, compared with $5,300 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (96.3) and land at $50 to $430.
Specs and site conditions that change a Nashville bid
Permit
Permits cost $50-$450 depending on location and wall size.
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.
Planning more than one job in Nashville?
Because every project leans on different trades, Nashville's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, paver patio runs −1% and concrete driveway −8%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $580 – $2,000 | −4% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,950 – $5,400 | −1% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,400 – $8,500 | −8% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,450 – $3,200 | −3% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,850 – $9,600 | −4% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $35,100 – $109,500 | −3% |
Nashville against nearby metros and the rest of Tennessee
Same job, same size (200 sq ft of wall face), priced for the nearest metros. Nashville is the priciest of the group. Decatur is the cheapest at $9,100.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, TNthis page | $7,000 – $13,200 | $10,100 | |
| Clarksville, TN65 miles | $6,750 – $12,900 | $9,800 | −3% |
| Bowling Green, KY70 miles | $6,750 – $12,800 | $9,800 | −3% |
| Huntsville, AL90 miles | $6,100 – $12,100 | $9,100 | −10% |
| Chattanooga, TN105 miles | $6,950 – $13,100 | $10,000 | −1% |
| Decatur, AL115 miles | $6,100 – $12,100 | $9,100 | −10% |
| Tennessee (statewide) | $6,850 – $13,000 | $9,900 | −2% |
| United States | $7,050 – $13,500 | $10,300 | +1% |
Across 300 US metros, Nashville comes in at #142 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, Nashville is 2% above the Tennessee figure.
Other Tennessee metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN | 611,670 jobs | $6,900 – $13,100 | $10,000 | −1% |
| Knoxville, TN | 424,600 jobs | $6,800 – $13,000 | $9,900 | −2% |
| Chattanooga, TN | 268,750 jobs | $6,950 – $13,100 | $10,000 | −1% |
| Kingsport, TN | 119,560 jobs | $6,700 – $12,800 | $9,750 | −4% |
| Clarksville, TN | 103,220 jobs | $6,750 – $12,900 | $9,800 | −3% |
| Jackson, TN | 84,530 jobs | $6,750 – $12,900 | $9,800 | −3% |
Cities with a workforce like Nashville's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Nashville against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH | 1,101,030 jobs | $7,450 – $13,700 | $10,600 | +5% |
| Kansas City, MO | 1,096,110 jobs | $7,400 – $13,600 | $10,500 | +4% |
| Indianapolis, IN | 1,105,170 jobs | $7,650 – $14,000 | $10,800 | +7% |
| Sacramento, CA | 1,080,590 jobs | $8,400 – $15,400 | $11,900 | +17% |
Nashville: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Nashville 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
$7,000 to $9,500
Short block wall, easy access
Standard
$8,850 to $11,400
Standard segmental block wall with drainage
Premium
$10,700 to $13,200
Tall or stone wall, engineered, hard access
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short garden wall (4x25 ft), 100 sq ft of wall face | $3,550 – $4,850 | $4,500 – $5,850 | $5,500 – $6,850 |
| 20 ft x 4 ft (80 sq ft of wall face) | $2,850 – $3,900 | $3,650 – $4,750 | $4,450 – $5,550 |
| 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) | $5,600 – $7,650 | $7,150 – $9,150 | $8,650 – $10,700 |
| 40 ft x 6 ft (240 sq ft of wall face) | $8,400 – $11,400 | $10,600 – $13,600 | $12,800 – $15,800 |
When to schedule retaining wall in Nashville
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Nashville Intl Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
February through June and September through December are the stretches where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Nashville (9 of 12 months). January has an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F); July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
In January the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 66 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Nashville gets about 51 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are March, April and May (5.0 inches in May). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.8 and 3.4 inches. The station averages about 54 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 | 49 | 30 | 4.0 | Cold |
| Feb | 54 | 33 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 4.7 | Workable |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.0 | Workable |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | Workable |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.2 | Hot |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.8 | Hot |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | Workable |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 61 | 39 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 4.4 | Workable |
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 Nashville is 1.02 times the national level.
Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021), 50% of the weighting: a median of $31.91 an hour, 7% above the US median of $29.87. The middle half of them earn between $29.65 and $35.19 an hour. About 540 work in the metro. That is 4.9 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 $22.21 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.67 and $24.27 an hour. About 9,170 work in the metro. That is 83.4 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 $26.94 an hour, which is 6% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.79 and $29.11 an hour. BLS counts 3,820 of them working in the area, 34.7 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 ($35.19 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $260. At the 25th percentile ($29.65) it shrinks by about $180. The total moves by 2.6% or 1.8%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 1,099,300 jobs in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin area. That makes it the 33rd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.71% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) | 50% | $29.65 | $31.91 | $35.19 | $29.87 | 1.07 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $18.67 | $22.21 | $24.27 | $22.66 | 0.98 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 20% | $23.79 | $26.94 | $29.11 | $28.78 | 0.94 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.02 | |||||
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Detailed retaining wall report for Nashville, TN, $9
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Retaining wall in Nashville: your questions
+How much does it cost to build a retaining wall in Nashville?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, expect $7,000 to $13,200 in the Nashville area. A standard-spec job lands at $8,850 to $11,400. 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 Nashville?
About $35 to $64 per sq ft of wall face for materials and labor, plus $50 to $430 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $35 to $65.
+Is retaining wall cheaper in Nashville or Clarksville?
Clarksville is 65 miles away. The midpoint for 200 sq ft of wall face there is $9,800, which is 3% less than Nashville ($10,100). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Nashville?
About 47% at the midpoint, or $4,750 out of $10,100. Materials are 50% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 46%.
+What would 40 ft x 4 ft (160 sq ft of wall face) cost in Nashville?
$5,600 to $10,700. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does retaining wall need a permit in Nashville?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $50 to $430 for fees in the Nashville area (our national range of $50 to $450 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Nashville expensive for retaining wall compared with the rest of Tennessee?
Nashville is 2% above the Tennessee statewide estimate ($9,900 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Tennessee; see the state page to compare them.
+What do brickmasons and blockmasons earn in Nashville?
The BLS median is $31.91 an hour in the Nashville area, compared with $29.87 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $29.65 to $35.19.
+What do basic and premium retaining wall work cost in Nashville?
For 200 sq ft of wall face, basic work runs $7,000 to $9,500 and premium work $10,700 to $13,200. 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 Nashville?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through June and September through December. September and October 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 Nashville
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.