- Excavation usually costs $1,600 to $6,450, about $3,900 typical.
- Excavating land for a residential project such as a patio, pool or addition.
What excavation costs
Excavation usually runs $1,600 to $6,450. A typical job lands near $3,900. Excavating land for a residential project such as a patio, pool or addition.
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Low end | $1,600 |
| Typical | $3,900 |
| High end | $6,450 |
Sources: HomeAdvisor and Bob Vila, combined as shown below. Local wages shift the typical price from about $3,451 in Mississippi to $4,477 in District of Columbia.
What drives the price
- Volume. More dirt means more machine time and hauling.
- Soil and rock. Rock and clay slow the dig.
- Access. Tight yards need smaller machines.
- Hauling. Removing spoil off site adds cost.
Extra costs to plan for
| Item | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clearing trees and debris first | $1,400 to $5,800 | HomeAdvisor |
| Soil testing and cleanup | $700 to $2,200 | HomeAdvisor |
Ask whether each of these is in the quote. Two bids for the same excavation can be far apart only because one includes them.
Excavation cost by state
These state figures are Koira estimates. The labor share of the national price, about 60%, moves with each state's median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers; materials stay at the national price. Use them to sanity-check a excavation quote.
| State | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,514 | $3,690 | $6,102 |
| Alaska | $1,810 | $4,411 | $7,295 |
| Arizona | $1,594 | $3,886 | $6,427 |
| Arkansas | $1,517 | $3,699 | $6,117 |
| California | $1,757 | $4,283 | $7,083 |
| Colorado | $1,762 | $4,295 | $7,104 |
| Connecticut | $1,762 | $4,294 | $7,102 |
| Delaware | $1,556 | $3,793 | $6,273 |
| District of Columbia | $1,837 | $4,477 | $7,404 |
| Florida | $1,550 | $3,778 | $6,248 |
| Georgia | $1,571 | $3,829 | $6,333 |
| Hawaii | $1,766 | $4,305 | $7,120 |
| Idaho | $1,660 | $4,047 | $6,693 |
| Illinois | $1,714 | $4,177 | $6,909 |
| Indiana | $1,573 | $3,835 | $6,343 |
| Iowa | $1,594 | $3,886 | $6,427 |
| Kansas | $1,605 | $3,911 | $6,469 |
| Kentucky | $1,539 | $3,752 | $6,205 |
| Louisiana | $1,495 | $3,644 | $6,026 |
| Maine | $1,767 | $4,308 | $7,124 |
| Maryland | $1,606 | $3,914 | $6,473 |
| Massachusetts | $1,834 | $4,469 | $7,392 |
| Michigan | $1,575 | $3,839 | $6,349 |
| Minnesota | $1,783 | $4,346 | $7,188 |
| Mississippi | $1,416 | $3,451 | $5,708 |
| Missouri | $1,585 | $3,863 | $6,388 |
| Montana | $1,752 | $4,271 | $7,063 |
| Nebraska | $1,600 | $3,900 | $6,450 |
| Nevada | $1,592 | $3,880 | $6,417 |
| New Hampshire | $1,741 | $4,243 | $7,018 |
| New Jersey | $1,654 | $4,032 | $6,668 |
| New Mexico | $1,561 | $3,806 | $6,294 |
| New York | $1,740 | $4,241 | $7,013 |
| North Carolina | $1,569 | $3,825 | $6,327 |
| North Dakota | $1,640 | $3,998 | $6,612 |
| Ohio | $1,578 | $3,845 | $6,360 |
| Oklahoma | $1,517 | $3,699 | $6,117 |
| Oregon | $1,744 | $4,252 | $7,032 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,609 | $3,921 | $6,485 |
| Rhode Island | $1,737 | $4,234 | $7,003 |
| South Carolina | $1,540 | $3,755 | $6,209 |
| South Dakota | $1,508 | $3,675 | $6,078 |
| Tennessee | $1,548 | $3,773 | $6,240 |
| Texas | $1,541 | $3,756 | $6,211 |
| Utah | $1,639 | $3,996 | $6,608 |
| Vermont | $1,774 | $4,324 | $7,151 |
| Virginia | $1,582 | $3,855 | $6,376 |
| Washington | $1,791 | $4,366 | $7,221 |
| West Virginia | $1,431 | $3,487 | $5,767 |
| Wisconsin | $1,651 | $4,024 | $6,656 |
| Wyoming | $1,580 | $3,850 | $6,368 |
Cities inside a state can run well above or below the state figure.
How we got these numbers
| Guide | Range | Average | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeAdvisor | $1,659 to $6,713 | $3,976 | Counted |
| Bob Vila | $1,515 to $6,211 | $3,847 | Counted |
We take the middle of the guides' lows for the low end, the middle of their highs for the high end, and the middle of their averages for the typical excavation price. Where a guide gives no average we use its midpoint. All read on October 9, 2026.
Labor share used: 60%. None of the guides splits labor out for this job, so this share is Koira's working assumption for lawn, trees and yard work. State factor: the state's median hourly wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers over the national $18.82 (BLS, May 2025), kept between 0.7 and 1.4.
For contractors: price this job in Koira
Yard work is often seasonal and repeat, so turn a one-time job into a schedule the customer approves once.
Koira's free Office plan turns a excavation quote into a clean estimate the customer approves on their phone, then into an invoice they can pay. Price this job in Koira, free.
Sources: HomeAdvisor, excavation cost; Bob Vila, excavation cost; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (state and national files). Prices checked October 9, 2026. More for your trade: how the trade runs on Koira.