Asphalt driveway cost in Fort Smith, AR

Who does the work: Fort Smith trade wages

The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Fort Smith the blend is 0.72.

Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071), 40% of the weighting: a median of $17.89 an hour, 30% below the US median of $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $17.25 and $22.18 an hour. About 30 work in the metro. That is 3.1 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 $17.77 an hour, which is 22% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $16.31 and $21.83 an hour. BLS counts 670 of them working in the area, 70.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $20.11 an hour, 30% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $18.15 and $21.12 an hour. About 440 work in the metro. That is 46.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $140 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $20. That is a swing of roughly 0.5% to 3.2% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Fort Smith has 95,560 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 210th by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Fort Smith against nearby metros and the rest of Arkansas

Of the five closest metros, none is cheaper than Fort Smith. Texarkana comes closest at about $4,650.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Fort Smith ranks #300 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Fort Smith is 3% below the Arkansas figure.

Elsewhere in Arkansas

Metros of a similar size

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

Optional extras in Fort Smith

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.83 for Fort Smith, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.72) and goods price index (0.94). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Asphalt driveway: what moves the price in Fort Smith

• 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).

Planning more than one job in Fort Smith?

Jobs that often go together with asphalt driveway are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Fort Smith wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, paver patio comes out highest (−13%) and concrete driveway lowest (−22%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.

Fort Smith: what basic, standard and premium work costs

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Fort Smith. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft.

The best months for asphalt driveway in Fort Smith

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Ft Smith Rgnl Ap (in the city). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.

For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Fort Smith are February through June and September through November: 8 of 12. Outside them, January and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F), and July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.

In January 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 63 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.

Fort Smith gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 3 inches of snow. The wettest months are April, May and June (5.6 inches in May). Inside the workable window, February and November are the driest, at 2.7 and 3.9 inches. The station averages about 78 days a year at 90°F or above.

We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.