How Much Do Concrete Footings Cost in 2025?
Concrete footings cost an average of $750
Average concrete footing costs range from $500 to $2,175 with an average cost of $750.
Key cost factors include home size, footing type, professional labor, permits, and soil type.
Expect to pay between $3 and $7 per square foot for concrete footings.
Labor costs $0.50 to $8 per linear foot, or $50 to $350 per footing.
This article was updated using automation technology and thoroughly reviewed for accuracy by HomeAdvisor Editor Ryan Noonan.
Concrete footings create the solid base your foundation needs to stay crack-free and stable. On average, you’ll spend between $500 and $2,175 for concrete footings, with most projects averaging $750. Your total will hinge on home size, soil, labor, and footing type. Laying these footings is the very first step toward a safe, long-lasting structure.
Concrete Footings Cost Factors
The price of your concrete footings varies based on size, labor, and several other factors. Here’s a closer look at how your total breaks down.
Home Size
The bigger or heavier the house, the more or wider footings you’ll need. Multi-story or masonry-built homes put extra load on the soil, so plan for wider strips than you would with a lightweight wood frame. Expect to pay $3 to $7 per square foot for concrete footings. For an average 150-linear-foot foundation, that works out to $225 to $3,600.
Footing Size
Concrete footings run $5 to $18 per linear foot. Your price climbs as the footing gets wider, so heavier loads or poor soils push costs toward the high end.
| Dimensions (Inches) | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| 12x6 | $220–$500 |
| 16x8 | $380–$900 |
| 18x8 | $430–$1,010 |
| 24x12 | $860–$2,020 |
Type of Footings
Thicker footings tend to cost more. There are two primary footing types:
Continuous footings extend the entire length of the foundation and beyond the sides for a wider base that distributes the load of the walls above into the soil below.
Pad footings are installed beneath a more concentrated load, such as a single pier or column, rather than an entire wall.
Soil Type
Test your soil before you pour concrete. Because every soil handles weight differently, a quick soil test lab report tells you exactly how much concrete—and what mix strength—you’ll need.
Soil is generally more stable when it contains more rock. Crystalline bedrock can bear the heaviest loads, while clay is the least resilient soil type. Weaker soil needs wider, more expensive footings to compensate for its reduced weight-bearing capacity.
House Type
Your home’s height and layout drive how many footings you’ll pour—and how wide they must be. A single-story ranch needs far less support than a three-story build, so factor that difference in when you’re determining your concrete footing budget.
Permits
Start by confirming local code requirements. Building permit fees vary by city, and stricter regions may require wider, deeper footings. If that’s the case where you live, plan for those extras in your budget.
Climate
Climate plays a big role in both design and cost. Hot regions can require additives that resist heat-related cracking, while cold zones often call for deeper digs below the frost line. Plan for those climate-driven factors when you price your project.
Labor
Labor runs $0.50 to $8 per linear foot, or $50 to $350 per footing ($150 on average). Most pros roll footing labor into the overall foundation quote, so ask if that line item is already covered before you sign.
Budgeting for Concrete Footings
Consider these cost-saving strategies to make your concrete footings installation project more economical:
Prepare the workspace in advance: Any extra time your contractor spends on site increases your total cost, so remove furniture, vehicles, and greenery from the workspace before workers arrive.
Book ahead for installation: Summer tends to be the busiest construction season, so local labor costs may be higher. Book your installation early, and consider spring or fall when contractors are less busy (though weather can affect timing).
Invest in good footings: Replacing footings once the foundation is poured is expensive, with costs starting at $1,500 and potentially exceeding $12,000 for large replacement jobs. If possible, opt for wider, sturdier footings from the beginning to minimize repair risks.
Contact multiple pros: Reach out to several local foundation installation pros in your area and compare quotes for labor and materials.
How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data
No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
A concrete footer is a relatively shallow column of concrete that sits below your foundation walls. Footers spread wider than the foundation, so they can support a higher amount of weight in critical spots, such as below walls. The exact dimensions of footers depend on the home, so larger structures need a larger footing.
To calculate footing size, you need to know the minimum width and depth for houses in your region. Multiplying the width by the linear footprint of the structure will give you the size in linear feet.
To convert linear feet into square feet, you can divide the width by 12. For example, an 18-inch footer is 1.5 square feet per linear foot. Multiply this number by the total in linear feet to get the answer in square feet.
Installing a pier and beam foundation costs $5 per square foot, or $8,000 to $15,000. This style is standard in homes built before the 1960s or those in flood-prone areas.
Concrete weight support ranges from 1,500 to 6,500 pounds per square inch, and footings need at least 3,500 to 4,500 pounds per square inch. Remember that your soil type, climate, and materials used will significantly affect how much weight your footings can hold, especially in certain areas.
It costs between $1,600 and $3,200 to pour a 20-by-20-foot concrete slab. These estimates are based on an average cost to pour a concrete slab of $4 to $8 per square foot. Be sure to discuss the specifics with a pro—they’ll give you an estimate of how much you can expect.
The cost to raise a house is between $3,200 and $10,000. This range refers to a form of repair that involves lifting the entire house to potentially remove the old foundation and build a new one or add to an existing one.
