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Cost to drill a well in New Hampshire: $11,300–$56,700 by county

A drilled, finished water well in New Hampshire typically costs $11,300–$56,700, with a midpoint of $31,000. Depth sets most of that price. Domestic wells here have a median depth of 420 ft across 16,480 completion reports filed 2016–2025, priced at national driller rates.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Key figures for New Hampshire

ItemFigure
Finished well, typical range (midpoint $31,000) $11,300–$56,7001,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Drilling and casing only (no pump, tank, or hookup) $8,700–$45,6001,2,3,4,5
Median well depth (16,480 reports) 420 ft1
Middle half of wells 300 ft to 540 ft1
Drilling rate (national rates) $25–$75/ft2
Median casing depth 50 ft1
Median reported yield 8 gpm1

Estimate a well in New Hampshire

Typical total: $11,300–$56,700, midpoint $31,000.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Depths from 16,480 domestic well reports in New Hampshire, 2016–2025: 300 ft (25th percentile), 420 ft (median), 540 ft (75th percentile).

Low uses the 25th percentile depth at low rates; high uses the 75th percentile at high rates.
Line itemLowMidHigh
Drilling (per foot of depth) (420 ft × $50/ft)$7,500$21,000$40,5002
Casing, installed (47 ft × $28/ft)$500$1,300$2,1003
Rig mobilization and setup ($550–$2,500)$600$1,500$2,5004
Well permit ($50–$500)$100$300$5005
Pump, wire, and drop pipe, installed ($1,000–$4,000)$1,000$2,500$4,0006
Pressure tank and switch, installed ($500–$1,800)$500$1,200$1,8006
Trench, water line, and electrical to the house ($1,000–$5,000)$1,000$3,000$5,0007
Water quality test ($50–$250)$100$200$3008
Total$11,300$31,000$56,700

No state rate survey yet, so national driller rates are used.

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Well depth by county in New Hampshire

Total depth of domestic wells by county, New Hampshire. Bar shows the middle half of wells; tick marks the median.
County Reports Median depth (ft) Middle half (ft) 0 to 620 ft
Rockingham 3,014 400 270–530
Hillsborough 2,925 500 320–620
Merrimack 2,157 420 310–540
Carroll 2,015 450 310–620
Grafton 1,596 420 300–510
Belknap 1,396 410 300–510
Strafford 1,204 360 250–440
Cheshire 883 410 270–500
Coos 669 360 260–500
Sullivan 621 420 300–510

Median depth runs from 360 ft in Coos County to 500 ft in Hillsborough County. At national rates that difference is worth about $6,600 at the midpoint estimate.

Sources1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Where the money goes on a New Hampshire well

Drilling is billed by the foot at $25–$75/ft, so the hole alone runs $7,500–$40,500 at the depths above. Casing, the steel or PVC pipe that lines the upper borehole, adds $500–$2,100 at $10–$45/ft. Rig setup is a flat $600–$2,500.

The pump, pressure tank, and trench to the house add $2,500–$10,800 on top of the hole. A quote that looks low next to the range above often leaves those three out, so ask for it itemized.

Sources2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Permits and driller licensing in New Hampshire

Water wells in New Hampshire fall under New Hampshire Water Well Board. A person must hold an annual license as a water well contractor or pump installer before constructing a well or installing a pump. The license expires on June 30 of each year. The water well contractor must give the Water Well Board a record of the well within 90 days after the well is completed.

Sources9,10

Groundwater and well construction in New Hampshire

Well cap Submersible pump Casing to about 50 ft Total depth about 420 ft Soil and loose rock Open hole in rock
Cross-section of a 420 ft well with casing to 50 ft, the New Hampshire median

About 65 percent of the bedrock surface in New England is crystalline igneous or metamorphic rock, where water moves through fractures. Sand and gravel glacial deposits in valleys also supply wells.

A well at the New Hampshire median reaches 420 ft with casing to about 50 ft. NH rules set a protective well radius of 75 feet for a private well serving a home with up to 750 gallons of sewage flow per day. A septic tank can be as close as 50 feet to a private well only if it is watertight and meets the rule's pipe and tank conditions.

Arsenic and radon occur naturally in New Hampshire rock and soil, and no state law requires you to test a private well. NHDES recommends testing for arsenic and radon every 3 to 5 years, and for bacteria and nitrate every year.

Sources11,1,12,13

New Hampshire compared with neighboring states

StateMedian depthTypical finished well
New Hampshire420 ft$11,300–$56,700
Maine300 ft$8,700–$47,300
Massachusetts340 ft$9,000–$52,600
Vermont340 ft$9,800–$53,400

Sources14,2,3,4,5,6,7,15,16,8,17

Common questions

How deep is a typical well in New Hampshire?

Half of the 16,480 domestic wells reported in New Hampshire from 2016–2025 are between 300 ft and 540 ft deep, and the median is 420 ft. Your county can sit well above or below that, so check the county table on this page before you compare quotes.

How much does it cost per foot to drill a well in New Hampshire?

Drilling alone runs $25–$75/ft on the rates we compiled. Spread across a whole finished well, including casing, pump, tank, and hookup, the midpoint estimate works out to about $74/ft at a depth of 420 ft. Per-foot quotes rarely include the pump.

How much do a well pump and pressure tank add in New Hampshire?

An installed submersible pump with wire and drop pipe runs $1,000–$4,000, and a pressure tank with its switch runs $500–$1,800. Together they are often the line items missing from a drilling quote, so a quote for the hole alone will look $3,700 cheaper than a finished well.

Related pages

For every state side by side and the national range, see how much a well costs.

Sources

  1. Water Well Inventory , New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
  2. Water Well Installation: Complete Guide, Cost and Tips for Success , Stevens Drilling (La Vernia, TX). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2025-10-27. Drilling $25-$65/ft; pumps $500-$2,000; pressure tank $300-$1,500; permit/licensing $100-$750; total $7,500-$17,000+.
  3. Cost to Drill a Water Well in Northern California , Weeks Drilling & Pump Co. (Sebastopol, CA). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2026-04-30. Drilling $35-$130/ft; steel casing $20-$45/ft; pump and pressure tank $3,500-$9,000; permitting $500-$2,500.
  4. D-203(5) Statewide Drilling Services, Exhibit D Price Schedule (Thein Well Co., contract 226711) , Minnesota Office of State Procurement. Accessed November 8, 2026. 2023 state-contract unit rates from a licensed MN driller: 6-in borehole $30-$31/ft (mud rotary/auger), $75/ft air rotary in rock; 6-in casing $28/ft (code) to $48/ft (black steel); mobilization $1,000/project; 34-gal pressure tank installed $1,000, 62-gal $1,450; submersible pump 3/4-1 hp $1,250-$1,350 each; drop pipe $7/ft; pitless and lateral $2,000; trench $20/LF. Agency-buyer rates, not retail quotes.
  5. Compilation of fetched state and county well permit fees (research/rates/NOTES.md, section permit) , costtodrillawell.com research. Accessed November 8, 2026. Internal compilation used only for the national permit fallback. Component sources: ok-owrb-well-driller-fact-sheet ($0), fl-nwfwmd-well-fees through fl-manatee-water-wells-2026 ($35-$265), ny-dutchess-dbch-fees ($45), wi-dnr-well-notification ($50.50), ga-pierce-well-permit-2024 ($70), idaho-code-42-235 ($75), crs-37-92-602 ($100), az-ars-45-596 ($100-$150), nmac-19-27-5 ($125), wa-rcw-18-104-055 ($200), nc-wayne-private-wells through nc-gaston-eh-fees ($225-$450), mi-grand-traverse-fees-2026 and mi-delta-menominee-fees-2025 ($240-$334), mt-dnrc-form-613-2025 ($250-$400), pa-chester-county-health-fees ($300), mn-stat-103i-208 ($325), oh-logan-fees-2024 through oh-summit-fees-2025 ($350-$594), or-hb2808-2025 ($490), blanco-pedernales-gcd-fees-2025 ($500), ca-calaveras-fees-2026 ($693), ny-nyc-well-water-permit ($1,090 outlier).
  6. How Much Does a Well Pressure Tank Cost? , Mid Atlantic Water LLC (water-system supplier, nationwide). Accessed November 8, 2026. Updated 2026-10-14; prices live as of 2026-09. Tank replaced by plumber $800-$1,800 all-in (20-44 gal); labor $200-$500; submersible pump job $1,000-$2,500; tank plus pump $2,500-$5,000+. Supplier, not an installer.
  7. What Are the Cost Factors of Drilling a Santa Fe Water Well? , Boylan Water Well Service (Santa Fe, NM). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2026-06-25. Drilling incl. PVC casing $28-$65/ft; submersible pump $850-$2,500; casing and grouting $1,500-$4,000; pressure tank and controls $500-$1,800; electrical hookup and trenching $1,000-$3,500; permits and lab testing $300-$1,000; turn-key $12,000-$30,000+.
  8. DSHS Austin Laboratory Fee Schedule, effective 2026-09-01 , Texas Department of State Health Services. Accessed November 8, 2026. Potable Water (coliform) MZZ0441A $18.39; Nitrate-N EZZ0048A $30.00; Routine Water Mineral Group $155; All Metals $165; VOCs $150.
  9. RSA 482-B:5 Licensing for Water Well Contractors and Pump Installers , New Hampshire General Court. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  10. RSA 482-B:10 Record of Wells; Monitoring Wells , New Hampshire General Court. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  11. Ground Water Atlas of the United States, Segment 12 (HA 730-M) , USGS. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  12. Env-Wq 1000 Subsurface Systems (Env-Wq 1008) , New Hampshire General Court. Accessed November 9, 2026. Table 1008-4 protective well radii and Env-Wq 1008.05(b) septic tank reduction.
  13. Private Wells , New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Accessed November 9, 2026. Page not directly fetched; content taken from search excerpts.
  14. Water Well Database , Maine Geological Survey. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
  15. Well Water Test Kit Information , Town of Blue Hill, Maine (Maine CDC HETL kit pricing). Accessed November 8, 2026. 2023-11-21. HETL well evaluation kit (coliform, nitrate/nitrite, fluoride, chloride, pH, arsenic, uranium, etc.) $127.00.
  16. Well Driller Program, well completion reports , Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
  17. Private wells , Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.

How these figures are built: methodology. Updated November 2026.