Paving & Walls
Retaining Wall Cost Calculator
Enter the wall length and height in feet, what you pay per wall block and per cap, and your state. The tool counts the blocks, prices them at your rates and adds mason labor at local wages.
Worked example
The example uses a sample price typed into the price field, only to show the math. Use the price your supplier quotes you.
- Materials: 150 blocks (12 x 6 in face) x $4.00 (the price entered) = $600.
- Labor: 17 hours x $27.12 an hour (brickmasons and blockmasons, median in Texas) = $462.
Block count drives the material cost
The calculator assumes a common 12 x 6 in block face and one buried course. A 30 ft wall that stands 2 ft tall takes 150 blocks, which at the $4 entered in the example is $600. The 30 caps at $3 add $90.
If your block has a different face size, count it first with the retaining wall block calculator and multiply that count by your block price for a truer material line. Large-format blocks mean fewer pieces but a higher price each.
Labor at a mason's wage
We price labor with the BLS wage for brickmasons and blockmasons. In Texas the median is $27.12 an hour, so the 17 hour example comes to $462, with a range of $397 to $487 from the 25th to 75th percentile wage.
Remember that these are wages paid to the worker, not the rate a company bills. A landscape or masonry contractor adds overhead, equipment and profit on top.
Costs that sit outside this estimate
Most of the hidden cost in a retaining wall is in the ground. Digging the trench, moving soil, and hauling off what you remove can take longer than stacking the blocks.
- Leveling base gravel and clean drainage stone behind the wall
- Perforated drain pipe and filter fabric
- Excavation, soil disposal and equipment rental
- Engineering and a permit for taller or loaded walls
- Delivery of heavy block pallets, and cap adhesive
When a pro must design the wall
A short garden wall is a common weekend project. Walls that hold back a driveway, a slope above a house, or a large height of soil are structural, and the local building code and a licensed professional have the final word on their design.
Planning a patio beside the wall? The paver patio cost calculator uses the same wage data, so you can add the two.
Brickmasons and blockmasons: hourly wages by state
Median hourly wage in the highest and lowest paying states, with the 25th and 75th percentile. U.S. median: $29.87 an hour (52,550 workers).
| State | 25th pct. | Median | 75th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $40.81 | $45.78 | $47.51 |
| Massachusetts | $36.67 | $45.65 | $64.18 |
| Illinois | $30.02 | $43.26 | $49.16 |
| New York | $35.65 | $40.58 | $51.73 |
| Washington | $35.14 | $40.00 | $49.11 |
| Wisconsin | $29.59 | $38.52 | $46.62 |
| North Dakota | $27.65 | $38.43 | $39.59 |
| Oregon | $31.91 | $38.20 | $47.63 |
| South Carolina | $21.85 | $23.56 | $29.66 |
| Mississippi | $17.90 | $23.47 | $25.31 |
| West Virginia | $19.92 | $22.40 | $30.00 |
| New Mexico | $19.11 | $21.63 | $23.90 |
| Maine | $19.31 | $20.54 | $28.53 |
Not published by BLS for: Alaska. The calculator uses the U.S. median there.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2021. Wages paid to workers, not what a company charges you: contractor rates include overhead, insurance and profit.
Questions
Why does the wall cost more per foot as it gets taller?
Each extra 6 in of height adds a full course of blocks along the whole length, and taller walls usually need more base, more drainage stone and sometimes reinforcement.
Are caps included in the block count?
No. Caps have their own price field, and the count is one cap per foot of wall for a 12 in cap.
Where does the wage come from?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for May 2025. Our sources page lists the details.
How this works: formulas and typical values are listed on our method page; every data source and its license is on sources.
Labor: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Last reviewed November 2026.