Asphalt driveway cost in Georgia

Quality levels and sizes in Georgia

The cited range is cut into three overlapping bands (basic, standard and premium) and scaled to statewide Georgia wages and prices. The grid prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.

Optional extras in Georgia

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Georgia by the average of the local wage index (0.83) and goods index (0.99), a factor of 0.91. 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.

If you are planning more than one job in Georgia

The table prices neighboring jobs at their usual sizes using statewide Georgia wages and prices. Against national midpoints, concrete slab comes out highest (−9%) and concrete driveway lowest (−13%), because each job leans on different trades.

Georgia seasons and asphalt driveway

Season matters for asphalt driveway. For each Georgia metro below we took NOAA's 1991-2020 monthly normals from the nearest suitable station and counted comfortable months for digging and ground work.

Gainesville has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Georgia at 12 months; Albany has the shortest at 9 (September through May). Rainfall runs from 45 inches a year in Augusta to 55 inches in Dalton.

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.

Georgia metro-by-metro prices

1 of the 10 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,850, 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.

Asphalt driveway: what moves the price in Georgia

• 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.

What paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators and the other trades earn in Georgia

Statewide wages come from BLS's state-level estimates, which blend big cities with small towns and rural areas. 3 trades drive the labor line for this job, and the weighted ratio against the national wage level is 0.83 for Georgia.

For paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071, weighted 40%) the local median is $22.16 an hour, which is 14% below the national $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $18.92 and $23.66 an hour. BLS counts 1,270 of them working in the state, 2.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.7), so the local bench is about average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $18.74 an hour, 17% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $16.93 and $22.57 an hour. About 27,800 work in the state. That is 56.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $23.02 an hour, which is 20% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $20.03 and $27.38 an hour. BLS counts 15,700 of them working in the state, 32.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators ($23.66 an hour) would add about $50 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($18.92) would take off about $110. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 4,889,170 jobs across Georgia (May 2025), which is 3.1% of US employment.

Georgia versus the states around it

Georgia ranks 43 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. Georgia sits at $4,850. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.