Asphalt driveway cost in Fayetteville, AR

How Fayetteville compares

Of the five closest metros, 2 are cheaper than Fayetteville. Fort Smith is the lowest at about $4,450 (midpoint, 600 sq ft), 50 miles away.

Across 300 US metros, Fayetteville comes in at #262 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $7,650; the cheapest is Fort Smith, AR at $4,450 (midpoints, 600 sq ft). Statewide, Fayetteville is 3% above the Arkansas figure.

Other Arkansas metros

Cities with a workforce like Fayetteville's

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Fayetteville against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Fayetteville labor market for asphalt driveway

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Fayetteville is 0.86 times the national level.

For paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071, weighted 40%) the local median is $22.85 an hour, which is 11% below the national $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $19.15 and $23.77 an hour. BLS counts 100 of them working in the area, 3.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $18.93 an hour, 16% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.66 and $22.44 an hour. About 2,190 work in the metro. That is 79.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $24.08 an hour, which is 16% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $21.16 and $25.79 an hour. BLS counts 900 of them working in the area, 32.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($23.77 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $30. At the 25th percentile ($19.15) it shrinks by about $120. The total moves by 0.6% or 2.6%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 275,180 jobs in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area. That makes it the 93rd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.18% of US employment.

Climate in Fayetteville: timing your asphalt driveway job

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Fayetteville Drake Fld (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

March through November is the stretch where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Fayetteville (9 of 12 months). January, February and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).

In January, February and December the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 94 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.

Fayetteville gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 7 inches of snow. The wettest months are April, May and October (5.9 inches in May). Inside the workable window, August and November are the driest, at 3.2 and 3.7 inches. The station averages about 41 days a year at 90°F or above.

Does the season change the price? Probably, but we do not have a sourced seasonal price curve, so the estimator shows a year-round figure and does not adjust by month. When you collect quotes, ask whether scheduling in a slower month gets a better rate.

Fayetteville: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Fayetteville wages and prices. They overlap on purpose: a good standard job and a modest premium job can cost the same. The grid below prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.

Specs and site conditions that change a Fayetteville bid

• 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.

• 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.

Planning more than one job in Fayetteville?

Because every project leans on different trades, Fayetteville's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, paver patio runs −9% and concrete driveway −13%.

Add-ons priced for Fayetteville

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Fayetteville by the average of the local wage index (0.86) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 0.90. Tick any of them in the estimator above to add them to your total. Treat these as planning figures: an add-on touches different trades than the main job, so the scaling is an approximation.