Wood fence cost in Billings, MT

Billings labor market for wood fence

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 2 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Billings is 1.00 times the national level.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 60%) the local median is $28.34 an hour, which is in line with the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $23.84 and $30.83 an hour. BLS counts 530 of them working in the area, 56.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 40% of the weighting: a median of $23.68 an hour, 5% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.42 and $28.31 an hour. About 830 work in the metro. That is 88.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the carpenters on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($30.83 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $120. At the 25th percentile ($23.84) it shrinks by about $210. The total moves by 2.2% or 4.0%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 93,800 jobs in the Billings area. That makes it the 213th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.06% of US employment.

Related projects, priced for Billings

Because every project leans on different trades, Billings's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, chain-link fence runs −1% and vinyl fence −3%.

Specs and site conditions that change a Billings bid

• Wood species

  A 6-ft privacy fence is $25-$50 per linear foot installed; an 8-ft one goes up to $75. Tropical hardwood privacy fences run $35-$55 (HomeGuide).

• Style

  Split-rail and picket styles are cheaper to build than privacy fence, which uses more boards and takes more labor.

• Height and permits

  Fences over about 6 ft often need a permit and a setback check. Permits run $40-$150.

Billings: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Billings 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 Billings cheap or dear? The local comparison

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 150 linear ft range from $4,900 to $5,450 across Billings and its five closest metros.

Across 300 US metros, Billings comes in at #128 from the top. The priciest is Honolulu, HI at $7,050; the cheapest is Brownsville, TX at $4,350 (midpoints, 150 linear ft). Statewide, Billings is 0% below the Montana figure.

Other Montana metros

Cities with a workforce like Billings's

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

Optional extras in Billings

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Billings by the average of the local wage index (1.00) and goods index (0.96), a factor of 0.98. Tick any of them in the estimator above to add them to your total. Treat these as planning figures: an add-on touches different trades than the main job, so the scaling is an approximation.

Climate in Billings: timing your wood fence job

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Billings Logan Intl Ap (in the city). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

March through November is the stretch where exterior installation runs into the fewest weather problems in Billings (9 of 12 months). January, February and December have an average daytime high under 45°F.

In January, February and December the average high stays below 45°F. Sealants, adhesives and some materials, such as vinyl, are harder to install well in the cold, and short daylight cuts the working day.

Billings gets about 14 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 57 inches of snow. The wettest months are April, May and June (2.4 inches in May). Inside the workable window, August and November are the driest, at 0.9 and 0.6 inches. The station averages about 32 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.