Submersible vs jet well pump: jet pumps stop at 25–90 ft

A jet pump job costs $500–$1,500 installed, against $1,000–$4,000 for a submersible, but depth to water decides which your well can use. Little Giant rates shallow-well jets to 25 feet of lift and convertible jets to about 90. In 32 of the 35 states where we have well records, the median domestic well is deeper than 90 feet, so most drilled wells need a submersible.

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Key figures

Item	Figure
Shallow-well jet pump, maximum lift (Pump to pumping water level)	25 ft³
Convertible jet pump, maximum lift	90 ft⁴
States whose median well is deeper than 90 ft	32 of 35⁵
Jet pump job, national band (Thin evidence)	$500–$1,500¹
Submersible job, national band	$1,000–$4,000²

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Suction versus pushing

A jet pump sits above ground, in a basement or pump house, and pulls water up the pipe by suction. Suction has a hard physical ceiling, so Little Giant rates its shallow-well jets for a vertical distance of 25 feet or less from the pump to the pumping water level. A convertible jet adds an injector down in the well that boosts the lift to about 90 feet. A submersible sits below the water and pushes it up, so depth limits it far less.

Sources^3,4

Water level, not well depth

The limit is measured to the pumping water level, the level water falls to while the pump runs, not to the bottom of the hole. A 60 foot well whose water sits 20 feet down can work with a shallow jet. Your well log or a pump installer's measurement will show the level.

Records show how rare jet-pump depths are for new wells. Delaware has the shallowest median we track at 60 feet, then Kansas at 82 and Indiana at 90. The national figure we use, the median across record states, is 200 feet.

Shallowest median domestic well depths among record states
State	Median depth	Middle half of wells
Delaware	60 ft	55–90 ft
Kansas	82 ft	60–120 ft
Indiana	90 ft	61–132 ft
All record states	200 ft	100–300 ft

Sources^3,6,7,8,5

What each costs

Jet pumps are cheaper to buy. This Old House lists about $200 for a shallow-well jet, $300 for a deep-well jet and $500 for a submersible. Installed, a jet job runs $500 to $1,500 on our band and a submersible job $1,000 to $4,000, since a submersible needs wire and drop pipe run the full depth of the well. Few installers publish jet-pump prices, so the jet figure rests on thin evidence. The new well pump cost guide breaks down pump-only prices.

Sources^9,1,2

Common questions

Can a jet pump work on a deep well?

Only to a point. A convertible jet pump with an injector kit works where the pumping water level is within 90 feet of the pump, on Little Giant's ratings. Past that, a submersible is the practical choice.

Should I replace a failing jet pump with a submersible?

If your water level sits close to the jet's limit or has dropped, a submersible removes the problem, at a higher installed price: $1,000 to $4,000 against $500 to $1,500 for a jet job on our bands. If the water is shallow and the jet has served well, a like-for-like swap costs less.

What horsepower do jet pumps come in?

Little Giant sells both its shallow-well and convertible jet pumps in 1/2, 3/4 and 1 horsepower.

For the cost of a finished well in your state, see how much a well costs.

Sources

Complete Cost of Well Pump Installation Breakdown (2025 Guide) , Plumbing Supply and More (online plumbing supplier). Accessed November 8, 2026. Supplier guide, 2025. Shallow-well jet pumps $300-$900; deep-well jet $650-$1,200; submersible $700-$2,500+; labor $250-$1,500. Thin evidence for jet pumps.
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.
JP Series shallow well jet pumps , Little Giant (Franklin Electric Co., Inc.). Accessed November 9, 2026. (c)2026. Vertical distance from pump to pumping water level must not exceed 25 ft; total suction lift 5-25 ft by model; 1/2, 3/4 or 1 hp.
JPC Series convertible jet pumps , Little Giant (Franklin Electric Co., Inc.). Accessed November 9, 2026. (c)2026. For installations where the vertical distance from pump to pumping water level does not exceed 90 ft; 1/2, 3/4 or 1 hp; injector kits for shallow and deep well installs.
National depth distribution, median of state percentiles , Cost to Drill a Well. Accessed November 9, 2026. Median across states with records of each state's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile depth.
Well Permits , Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
Water Well Completion Records (WWC5) , Kansas Geological Survey. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
Water Well Record Database , Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
How Much Does a Well Pump Cost? , This Old House. Accessed November 8, 2026. Updated 2026-03-05. Pump only: shallow jet $200, deep jet $300, submersible $500; replacement $900-$2,500. Corroboration only.

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