Research · updated 2026-08-27 · download the county-level CSV
Mississippi Well Depth & Drilling Cost Index
Drilling a private water well in Mississippi means paying by the foot — so the two questions every well owner asks are how deep and how much. We computed both for all 82 counties with enough records to be reliable, from 73,052 official USGS NWIS well records.
Statewide, the median well reaches 185 ft, and a complete system — drilling, casing, pump, pressure tank, and hookup — typically runs $11,100–$18,500. But the county spread is large:
Deepest counties to drill in Mississippi
| County | Median depth | Typical depth range | Complete system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oktibbeha | 900 ft | 650 ft–1,325 ft | $54,000–$90,000 |
| Noxubee | 820 ft | 657 ft–1,038 ft | $49,200–$82,000 |
| Chickasaw | 500 ft | 330 ft–730 ft | $30,000–$50,000 |
| Hinds | 500 ft | 238 ft–820 ft | $30,000–$50,000 |
| Rankin | 472 ft | 190 ft–767 ft | $28,320–$47,200 |
Most expensive counties to drill in Mississippi
| County | Complete system | Drilling & casing only | Median depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oktibbeha | $54,000–$90,000 | $22,500–$58,500 | 900 ft |
| Noxubee | $49,200–$82,000 | $20,500–$53,300 | 820 ft |
| Chickasaw | $30,000–$50,000 | $12,500–$32,500 | 500 ft |
| Hinds | $30,000–$50,000 | $12,500–$32,500 | 500 ft |
| Rankin | $28,320–$47,200 | $11,800–$30,680 | 472 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 Mississippi 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
- Mississippi 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 Mississippi Well Data (mississippiwelldata.com). For a specific county, a custom cut, or the underlying records, email — usually same-day.
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