Asphalt driveway cost in Alabama
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (600 sq ft)
- $2,750 – $6,550
- Per sq ft
- $4.50 – $10.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −11%
- US $5,250
- Metros covered
- 9
Alabama prices for asphalt driveway: $2,750 to $6,550 for 600 sq ft, or $4.50 to $10.50 per sq ft without the permit. The state midpoint is 11% below the national one. Local wages for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators are $20.14 an hour.
Inside Alabama, the metros we cover range from $4,550 (Auburn) to $4,850 (Birmingham) at the midpoint. Pick your closest city in the table for a tighter number.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in Alabama (statewide), standard level
$3,900 to $5,400
About $6.35 to $8.80 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 36% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,500 | $3,250 |
| Labor | $1,350 | $2,050 |
| Permits and fees | $85 | $140 |
| Total | $3,900 | $5,400 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Alabama
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,900 | $2,850 | $3,800 | 62% |
| Labor | $800 | $1,700 | $2,550 | 36% |
| Permits and fees | $45 | $110 | $180 | 2% |
| Total | $2,750 | $4,650 | $6,550 | 100% |
Related projects, priced for Alabama
Each project weights the trades differently, so Alabama's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, concrete slab is −11% and concrete driveway −16%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,100 – $7,700 | −16% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,200 – $8,950 | −12% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,600 – $4,750 | −13% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $530 – $1,850 | −12% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,150 – $4,650 | −11% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,100 – $3,450 | −13% |
Alabama seasons and asphalt driveway
Weather decides when digging and ground work can happen, and Alabama is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.
Daphne has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Alabama at 12 months; Dothan has the shortest at 9 (September through May). Rainfall runs from 49 inches a year in Decatur to 66 inches in Daphne.
We do not adjust prices by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. Timing is still worth raising when you collect bids.
| Metro | Jan avg low °F | Jul avg high °F | Precip (in/yr) | Comfortable months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 35 | 91 | 57 | 10: September through June |
| Huntsville | 33 | 92 | 54 | 10: September through June |
| Mobile | 43 | 92 | 61 | 9: September through May |
| Montgomery | 37 | 94 | 51 | 9: September through May |
| Tuscaloosa | 35 | 92 | 57 | 9: September through May |
| Daphne | 39 | 89 | 66 | 12: all year |
| Auburn | 35 | 89 | 56 | 12: all year |
| Decatur | 32 | 90 | 49 | 9: February through June and September through December |
| Dothan | 40 | 93 | 54 | 9: September through May |
Extras that change the Alabama total
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.88 for Alabama, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.79) and goods price index (0.96). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a sealcoat | $530 – $1,050 |
Asphalt driveway cost by metro in Alabama
4 of the 9 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,650, and the top-to-bottom gap is 7%. Each row prices the default size with that metro's own BLS wages and BEA price levels, so the gap between rows is real local variation rather than a flat markup.
| Metro | Range (600 sq ft) | Midpoint | vs. state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham, AL | $2,850 – $6,850 | $4,850 | +4% |
| Huntsville, AL | $2,800 – $6,750 | $4,800 | +3% |
| Decatur, AL | $2,750 – $6,600 | $4,700 | +1% |
| Daphne, AL | $2,750 – $6,600 | $4,700 | +1% |
| Mobile, AL | $2,750 – $6,550 | $4,650 | level |
| Montgomery, AL | $2,750 – $6,450 | $4,600 | −1% |
| Dothan, AL | $2,700 – $6,450 | $4,550 | −2% |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | $2,700 – $6,450 | $4,550 | −2% |
| Auburn, AL | $2,700 – $6,400 | $4,550 | −2% |
Wages behind the Alabama number
Alabama's labor line is priced from 3 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 0.79 times the national level.
Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071), 40% of the weighting: a median of $20.14 an hour, 21% below the US median of $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $17.74 and $23.61 an hour. About 700 work in the state. That is 3.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 2.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $17.74 an hour, which is 22% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $14.41 and $21.75 an hour. BLS counts 18,400 of them working in the state, 87.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.84 an hour, 21% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $19.12 and $27.66 an hour. About 9,640 work in the state. That is 45.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators ($23.61 an hour) would add about $120 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($17.74) would take off about $80. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 2,113,660 jobs across Alabama (May 2025), which is 1.4% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) | 40% | $17.74 | $20.14 | $23.61 | $25.64 | 0.79 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $14.41 | $17.74 | $21.75 | $22.66 | 0.78 | state |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $19.12 | $22.84 | $27.66 | $28.78 | 0.79 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 0.79 | |||||
Why two Alabama quotes can differ
New versus overlay
Resurfacing an existing driveway runs $3-$7 per sq ft; a full new driveway runs $5-$12+ (HomeGuide). Tearing out and replacing one is higher still.
Base work
Four to eight inches of compacted aggregate under the asphalt is where cheap quotes cut corners. Base typically runs $1-$3 per sq ft.
Small jobs cost more per foot
Paving crews move a paver, roller and trucks to your address, so a 400 sq ft driveway carries more mobilization per square foot than a 1,000 sq ft one.
Hot-mix price
Hot-mix asphalt is $100-$200 per ton delivered and moves with oil prices (PaveGauge).
Sealcoating
Sealing is $1-$2 per sq ft and is a maintenance cost, not part of the install.
Basic, standard or premium: Alabama prices
Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft.
Basic
$2,750 to $4,250
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$3,900 to $5,400
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$5,050 to $6,550
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,150 – $1,750 | $1,600 – $2,250 | $2,100 – $2,700 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $1,850 – $2,900 | $2,600 – $3,650 | $3,400 – $4,400 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $2,750 – $4,250 | $3,900 – $5,400 | $5,050 – $6,550 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $4,550 – $7,050 | $6,450 – $8,900 | $8,300 – $10,800 |
Alabama versus the states around it
Alabama ranks 49 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for asphalt driveway, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $7,500 and the cheapest Mississippi at $4,600, both for 600 sq ft at the midpoint. Alabama sits at $4,650. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 170 miles away | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,850 | +4% |
| Mississippi | 180 miles away | $2,700 – $6,450 | $4,600 | −2% |
| Tennessee | 190 miles away | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,800 | +4% |
| Louisiana | 310 miles away | $2,800 – $6,700 | $4,750 | +2% |
| South Carolina | 350 miles away | $2,850 – $6,800 | $4,850 | +4% |
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Asphalt driveway in Alabama: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in Alabama?
$2,750 to $6,550 for 600 sq ft, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside Alabama can sit above or below that.
+Which city in Alabama is cheapest for asphalt driveway?
Auburn at about $4,550 (midpoint, 600 sq ft). The priciest is Birmingham at $4,850.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in Alabama than the US average?
It is 11% cheaper: $4,650 against $5,250 for 600 sq ft at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in Alabama?
About 36% ($1,700). Materials are 62%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 0.79x the national wage level.
+What do paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn in Alabama?
The BLS statewide median is $20.14 an hour, against $25.64 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.74 to $23.61.
+Where does Alabama rank for asphalt driveway costs?
49th most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $4,650 for 600 sq ft. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium asphalt driveway work cost in Alabama?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $2,750 to $4,250 and premium work $5,050 to $6,550. Basic means: new topcoat over a sound base, flat lot. Premium means: full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth.
+Does the season matter for asphalt driveway in Alabama?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the Alabama metros we cover, Daphne has the most comfortable months (12 of 12) based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals. Our prices do not change by month, so ask contractors whether they charge more or less in busy and slow seasons.
+What does "add a sealcoat" add in Alabama?
$530 to $1,050 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the statewide wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway by city in Alabama
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Paving an Asphalt Driveway Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- PaveGauge: Asphalt Driveway Cost (2026): Price by Size (accessed November 4, 2026)
- HomeGuide: 2026 Building Permit Costs | Fees & Cost Calculator (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = hot-mix asphalt ($2.30-$3.60/sq ft at 3 in) plus aggregate base ($1-$3/sq ft) from PaveGauge's component table.