Research · updated 2026-08-27 · download the county-level CSV
North Carolina Well Depth & Drilling Cost Index
Drilling a private water well in North Carolina means paying by the foot — so the two questions every well owner asks are how deep and how much. We computed both for all 91 counties with enough records to be reliable, from 22,947 official USGS NWIS well records.
Statewide, the median well reaches 180 ft, and a complete system — drilling, casing, pump, pressure tank, and hookup — typically runs $18,000–$30,000. But the county spread is large:
Deepest counties to drill in North Carolina
| County | Median depth | Typical depth range | Complete system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates | 400 ft | 224 ft–540 ft | $24,000–$40,000 |
| Bertie | 376 ft | 231 ft–431 ft | $22,560–$37,600 |
| Lenoir | 350 ft | 142 ft–413 ft | $21,000–$35,000 |
| Watauga | 340 ft | 205 ft–500 ft | $20,400–$34,000 |
| Columbus | 298 ft | 166 ft–367 ft | $17,880–$29,800 |
Most expensive counties to drill in North Carolina
| County | Complete system | Drilling & casing only | Median depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gates | $24,000–$40,000 | $10,000–$26,000 | 400 ft |
| Bertie | $22,560–$37,600 | $9,400–$24,440 | 376 ft |
| Lenoir | $21,000–$35,000 | $8,750–$22,750 | 350 ft |
| Watauga | $20,400–$34,000 | $8,500–$22,100 | 340 ft |
| Wake | $18,000–$30,000 | $7,500–$19,500 | 264 ft |
Download the full county table (CSV)
How to read this
- Depth is measured; cost is modeled. Depths are the median of recorded drilled depths per county. Cost applies published North Carolina per-foot drilling rates to that local median depth — a planning estimate, not a quote. Actual bids vary with geology, casing, site access, and water depth.
- Counties below 30 records are excluded so a thin sample can't produce a misleading superlative.
- Records are drilling events from the state database, which include some replacement and abandoned wells; deeper counties reflect real local geology (bedrock, aquifer depth).
Sources & methodology
- North Carolina well records: USGS NWIS (refreshed weekly; see our general methodology).
- Percentiles (p25/median/p75) computed per county; cost from published per-foot rate ranges applied to the local median depth.
The county table is free to use with attribution to North Carolina Well Data (northcarolinawelldata.com). For a specific county, a custom cut, or the underlying records, email — usually same-day.
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