What a Backyard Costs in Every State (2026 Data)

Where you live changes what a backyard costs more than almost anything you pick for it. We priced the same starter backyard in every state: a 300 sq ft paver patio, a 40-ft block retaining wall with 3 ft of exposed face, a 100 sq ft paver walkway and 50 ft of French drain, built the way our crews build it for customers.

The 10 most expensive states to build a backyard

The top of the list is Alaska, Hawaii, the West Coast and the Northeast, plus Illinois and Minnesota, where the construction trades earn well above the national average.

Rank	State	Starter backyard	Patio (300 sq ft)	Retaining wall (40 ft)
1	Alaska	$41,300	$19,900	$11,200
2	Massachusetts	$41,300	$19,900	$11,200
3	Hawaii	$40,100	$19,300	$10,900
4	Washington	$39,900	$19,200	$10,800
5	Illinois	$39,500	$19,000	$10,700
6	Minnesota	$39,400	$18,900	$10,700
7	New York	$39,100	$18,800	$10,600
8	New Jersey	$38,700	$18,600	$10,500
9	California	$38,000	$18,300	$10,300
10	Rhode Island	$37,800	$18,200	$10,200

The 10 least expensive states

Nine of the ten are in the South. New Mexico is the exception.

Rank	State	Starter backyard	Patio (300 sq ft)	Retaining wall (40 ft)
51	Mississippi	$29,500	$14,200	$8,000
50	Alabama	$30,000	$14,400	$8,100
49	Arkansas	$30,300	$14,600	$8,200
48	West Virginia	$30,800	$14,800	$8,400
47	Oklahoma	$30,800	$14,800	$8,400
46	Louisiana	$31,100	$15,000	$8,400
45	New Mexico	$31,200	$15,000	$8,500
44	Georgia	$31,300	$15,000	$8,500
43	North Carolina	$31,400	$15,100	$8,500
42	Texas	$31,400	$15,100	$8,500

Backyard costs in all 50 states and D.C.

Tap a column header to sort. Every figure is the middle of a range, rounded to the nearest $100; the starter backyard is the sum of the four projects.

State	Rank	Cost index	Starter backyard	Patio (300 sq ft)	Retaining wall (40 ft)	Walkway (100 sq ft)	French drain (50 ft)
United States	–	100.0	$34,800	$16,800	$9,400	$6,300	$2,300
Central PA (our installed prices)	–	97.5	$34,400	$16,500	$9,300	$6,300	$2,300
Alabama	50	77.1	$30,000	$14,400	$8,100	$5,500	$2,000
Alaska	1	130.8	$41,300	$19,900	$11,200	$7,500	$2,700
Arizona	29	94.6	$33,600	$16,200	$9,100	$6,100	$2,200
Arkansas	49	78.5	$30,300	$14,600	$8,200	$5,500	$2,000
California	9	115.5	$38,000	$18,300	$10,300	$6,900	$2,500
Colorado	22	100.1	$35,000	$16,800	$9,500	$6,400	$2,300
Connecticut	14	107.3	$36,400	$17,500	$9,900	$6,600	$2,400
Delaware	26	97.4	$34,200	$16,500	$9,300	$6,200	$2,200
District of Columbia	13	109.7	$36,800	$17,700	$10,000	$6,700	$2,400
Florida	39	86.5	$32,000	$15,400	$8,700	$5,800	$2,100
Georgia	44	83.1	$31,300	$15,000	$8,500	$5,700	$2,100
Hawaii	3	124.6	$40,100	$19,300	$10,900	$7,300	$2,600
Idaho	28	95.5	$33,900	$16,300	$9,200	$6,200	$2,200
Illinois	5	122.4	$39,500	$19,000	$10,700	$7,200	$2,600
Indiana	23	99.8	$34,700	$16,700	$9,400	$6,300	$2,300
Iowa	27	97.4	$34,200	$16,500	$9,300	$6,200	$2,200
Kansas	34	92.1	$33,200	$16,000	$9,000	$6,000	$2,200
Kentucky	37	87.7	$32,200	$15,500	$8,700	$5,900	$2,100
Louisiana	46	82.6	$31,100	$15,000	$8,400	$5,700	$2,000
Maine	33	92.1	$33,200	$16,000	$9,000	$6,000	$2,200
Maryland	32	92.2	$33,200	$16,000	$9,000	$6,000	$2,200
Massachusetts	2	130.7	$41,300	$19,900	$11,200	$7,500	$2,700
Michigan	24	98.8	$34,600	$16,600	$9,400	$6,300	$2,300
Minnesota	6	121.3	$39,400	$18,900	$10,700	$7,200	$2,600
Mississippi	51	75.0	$29,500	$14,200	$8,000	$5,400	$1,900
Missouri	15	104.9	$35,900	$17,300	$9,700	$6,500	$2,400
Montana	25	97.9	$34,400	$16,500	$9,300	$6,300	$2,300
Nebraska	35	91.9	$33,100	$15,900	$9,000	$6,000	$2,200
Nevada	21	100.2	$35,000	$16,800	$9,500	$6,400	$2,300
New Hampshire	20	100.5	$35,000	$16,800	$9,500	$6,400	$2,300
New Jersey	8	118.6	$38,700	$18,600	$10,500	$7,100	$2,500
New Mexico	45	82.7	$31,200	$15,000	$8,500	$5,700	$2,000
New York	7	120.4	$39,100	$18,800	$10,600	$7,100	$2,600
North Carolina	43	83.3	$31,400	$15,100	$8,500	$5,700	$2,100
North Dakota	18	101.3	$35,100	$16,900	$9,500	$6,400	$2,300
Ohio	17	103.6	$35,500	$17,100	$9,600	$6,500	$2,300
Oklahoma	47	81.2	$30,800	$14,800	$8,400	$5,600	$2,000
Oregon	11	113.2	$37,700	$18,100	$10,200	$6,900	$2,500
Pennsylvania	16	103.6	$35,500	$17,100	$9,600	$6,500	$2,300
Rhode Island	10	114.0	$37,800	$18,200	$10,200	$6,900	$2,500
South Carolina	40	86.0	$31,800	$15,300	$8,600	$5,800	$2,100
South Dakota	41	85.6	$31,800	$15,300	$8,600	$5,800	$2,100
Tennessee	36	88.3	$32,400	$15,600	$8,800	$5,900	$2,100
Texas	42	83.4	$31,400	$15,100	$8,500	$5,700	$2,100
Utah	30	93.5	$33,500	$16,100	$9,100	$6,100	$2,200
Vermont	19	101.1	$35,100	$16,900	$9,500	$6,400	$2,300
Virginia	38	87.2	$32,200	$15,500	$8,700	$5,900	$2,100
Washington	4	123.9	$39,900	$19,200	$10,800	$7,300	$2,600
West Virginia	48	81.1	$30,800	$14,800	$8,400	$5,600	$2,000
Wisconsin	12	110.4	$36,900	$17,800	$10,000	$6,700	$2,400
Wyoming	31	93.0	$33,300	$16,000	$9,000	$6,100	$2,200

Why the same backyard costs more in some states

Most of what you pay for a patio or a wall is labor: the crew, the supervision and the overhead that keeps a crew on the road. Block, pavers and stone vary far less from state to state than wages do: construction laborers average $18.23 an hour in Alabama and $34.39 in Hawaii, and brick and block masons earn from $22.81 in New Mexico to $48.01 in Massachusetts, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Our estimates only move the labor side. Alaska and Hawaii also pay more to ship heavy material, so real prices there likely run higher than shown.

Statewide numbers also hide big swings inside a state. A patio in a major metro usually costs more than the state figure and a rural job less. Our own market shows it: central Pennsylvania runs about 3% below the statewide estimate for Pennsylvania.

What the estimates include

• Paver patio (300 sq ft) and walkway (100 sq ft): excavation, a compacted stone base, pavers, edge restraint and joint sand.
• Retaining wall: 40 ft long with 3 ft of exposed face (120 sq ft of face), a buried base course, drainage stone and pipe behind the block, and geogrid where the height calls for it.
• French drain: 50 linear ft, installed.
• Not included: design, permits, engineering, and site problems like rock, poor soil or tight access, which can push a job past the high end. Walls over 4 ft usually need an engineered design.

How we calculated it

1. Start with real prices. Our installed price ranges for typical residential jobs in Clinton, Lycoming, Centre and Union counties, Pennsylvania (September 2026): paver patios $48–62 per sq ft, walkways $55–70 per sq ft, block retaining walls $65–90 per sq ft of face, and French drains $35–55 per linear ft.
2. Measure labor costs by state. We took the May 2025 hourly mean wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) for four trades that build this work: landscaping and groundskeeping workers (SOC 37-3011), construction laborers (47-2061), cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), and brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021). Each state's wage for each trade is divided by the U.S. average for that trade, and the ratios are averaged into a cost index (U.S. = 100). BLS doesn't publish a brick and block mason wage for Alaska, so Alaska's index uses three trades.
3. Measure our own market the same way. Our prices come from central Pennsylvania, so we indexed it using the Williamsport and State College metro areas (three trades; BLS doesn't publish brick and block mason wages there). Central Pennsylvania's index is 97.5.
4. Adjust the labor share. We treat 60% of the installed price (crew labor, supervision and overhead) as moving with local wages and 40% (materials, equipment and delivery) as the same everywhere. State estimate = our price × (0.6 × state index ÷ 97.5 + 0.4).
5. Round. Each project uses the midpoint of our range, rounded to the nearest $100. The starter backyard is the sum of the four projects.

The 60/40 split is our assumption. It doesn't change the ranking at all, only how far apart the states land: at 50/50 the gap between the most and least expensive state is 32%, at 60/40 (what we used) it's 40%, and at 70/30 it's 48%.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 state and metro-area estimates; Muthler Landscaping & Construction installed prices, September 2026 (see our hardscape price ranges).

Use this data

Reporters, bloggers and researchers are welcome to use these numbers, the map and the table. Please credit Groundwork Design Co. (Muthler Landscaping & Construction) and link to this page.

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Questions about the data, or want a comment from a builder? Email info@muthlerlandscaping.com or call (570) 397-9800.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a paver patio cost in 2026?

A professionally built 300 sq ft paver patio costs about $16,800 at U.S. average labor rates, roughly $56 per sq ft, including excavation, a compacted stone base, edge restraint and joint sand. By state it runs from about $14,200 in Mississippi to $19,900 in Alaska and Massachusetts.

What is the most expensive state to build a backyard?

Alaska and Massachusetts, at about $41,300 for our starter backyard, followed by Hawaii, Washington and Illinois.

What is the cheapest state to build a backyard?

Mississippi, at about $29,500, followed by Alabama and Arkansas.

How much does a retaining wall cost?

A 40-ft block retaining wall with 3 ft of exposed face (120 sq ft of face) costs about $9,400 at U.S. average labor rates, from about $8,000 in Mississippi to $11,200 in Alaska and Massachusetts. Walls over 4 ft usually need an engineered design and cost more.

Are these quotes?

No. They are planning estimates for one defined scope. Your site, access, soil and material choices decide the real price, so get written bids on the same plan from local contractors.