Asphalt driveway cost in Pennsylvania
Statewide estimate from BLS wages and BEA prices. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Statewide range (600 sq ft)
- $3,050 – $7,500
- Per sq ft
- $5.05 – $12
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +1%
- US $5,250
- Metros covered
- 12
Pennsylvania prices for asphalt driveway: $3,050 to $7,500 for 600 sq ft, or $5.05 to $12 per sq ft without the permit. The state midpoint is 1% above the national one. Local wages for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators are $26.93 an hour.
Inside Pennsylvania, the metros we cover range from $5,150 (Altoona) to $5,400 (State College) 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 Pennsylvania (statewide), standard level
$4,400 to $6,150
About $7.20 to $10 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 42% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,550 | $3,350 |
| Labor | $1,750 | $2,650 |
| Permits and fees | $95 | $150 |
| Total | $4,400 | $6,150 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Pennsylvania
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,950 | $2,950 | $3,950 | 56% |
| Labor | $1,050 | $2,200 | $3,350 | 42% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $120 | $200 | 2% |
| Total | $3,050 | $5,300 | $7,500 | 100% |
Pennsylvania against its neighbors
Pennsylvania ranks 22 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. Pennsylvania sits at $5,300. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.
| State | Distance | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 70 miles away | $3,150 – $7,700 | $5,450 | +3% |
| Delaware | 100 miles away | $2,950 – $7,200 | $5,100 | −4% |
| New Jersey | 100 miles away | $3,450 – $8,450 | $5,950 | +13% |
| District of Columbia | 110 miles away | $3,550 – $8,900 | $6,250 | +18% |
| New York | 140 miles away | $3,450 – $8,450 | $5,950 | +13% |
Optional extras in Pennsylvania
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Pennsylvania by the average of the local wage index (1.04) and goods index (0.99), a factor of 1.02. 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.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a sealcoat | $610 – $1,200 |
Quality levels and sizes in Pennsylvania
The cited range is cut into three overlapping bands (basic, standard and premium) and scaled to statewide Pennsylvania wages and prices. The grid prices the same bands at 4 common sizes.
Basic
$3,050 to $4,850
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$4,400 to $6,150
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$5,750 to $7,500
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,250 – $2,000 | $1,800 – $2,550 | $2,350 – $3,100 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $2,050 – $3,250 | $2,950 – $4,150 | $3,850 – $5,050 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $3,050 – $4,850 | $4,400 – $6,150 | $5,750 – $7,500 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $5,100 – $8,000 | $7,250 – $10,200 | $9,450 – $12,400 |
Related projects, priced for Pennsylvania
The table prices neighboring jobs at their usual sizes using statewide Pennsylvania wages and prices. Against national midpoints, concrete driveway comes out highest (+3%) and French drain lowest (level), because each job leans on different trades.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,750 – $9,550 | +3% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,550 – $10,300 | +1% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,100 – $5,650 | +3% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $600 – $2,100 | level |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,500 – $5,300 | +2% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,250 – $4,100 | +2% |
Asphalt driveway cost by metro in Pennsylvania
5 of the 12 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $5,300, and the top-to-bottom gap is 4%. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| State College, PA | $3,150 – $7,650 | $5,400 | +2% |
| Lancaster, PA | $3,100 – $7,600 | $5,350 | +2% |
| York, PA | $3,100 – $7,550 | $5,350 | +1% |
| Reading, PA | $3,100 – $7,550 | $5,350 | +1% |
| Allentown, PA | $3,100 – $7,550 | $5,350 | +1% |
| Harrisburg, PA | $3,100 – $7,500 | $5,300 | level |
| Scranton, PA | $3,100 – $7,500 | $5,300 | level |
| Philadelphia, PA | $3,050 – $7,500 | $5,300 | level |
| Chambersburg, PA | $3,050 – $7,450 | $5,250 | level |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $3,050 – $7,450 | $5,250 | −1% |
| Erie, PA | $3,050 – $7,450 | $5,250 | −1% |
| Altoona, PA | $3,000 – $7,300 | $5,150 | −2% |
Wages behind the Pennsylvania number
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 1.04 for Pennsylvania.
For paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071, weighted 40%) the local median is $26.93 an hour, which is 5% above the national $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $23.42 and $30.58 an hour. BLS counts 520 of them working in the state, 0.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.7), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $23.75 an hour, 5% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.69 and $29.72 an hour. About 35,920 work in the state. That is 59.2 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 $29.10 an hour, which is in line with the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $24.42 and $37.40 an hour. BLS counts 22,120 of them working in the state, 36.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.
A crew paid at the 75th percentile for paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators ($30.58 an hour) would add about $120 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($23.42) would take off about $120. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.
BLS counts 6,064,600 jobs across Pennsylvania (May 2025), which is 3.9% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) | 40% | $23.42 | $26.93 | $30.58 | $25.64 | 1.05 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $21.69 | $23.75 | $29.72 | $22.66 | 1.05 | state |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $24.42 | $29.10 | $37.40 | $28.78 | 1.01 | state |
| Blended | 100% | 1.04 | |||||
Pennsylvania seasons and asphalt driveway
Season matters for asphalt driveway. For each Pennsylvania metro below we took NOAA's 1991-2020 monthly normals from the nearest suitable station and counted comfortable months for digging and ground work.
Philadelphia has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Pennsylvania at 9 months (March through November); Altoona has the shortest at 8 (April through November). Rainfall runs from 39 inches a year in Scranton to 47 inches in Allentown.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 27 | 88 | 45 | 9: March through November |
| Pittsburgh | 22 | 83 | 41 | 8: April through November |
| Allentown | 22 | 86 | 47 | 8: April through November |
| Harrisburg | 22 | 85 | 45 | 8: April through November |
| Scranton | 20 | 85 | 39 | 8: April through November |
| Lancaster | 22 | 87 | 44 | 8: April through November |
| York | 21 | 88 | 46 | 8: April through November |
| Reading | 23 | 87 | 45 | 8: April through November |
| Erie | 21 | 81 | 43 | 8: April through November |
| State College | 21 | 81 | 42 | 8: April through November |
| Chambersburg | 23 | 85 | 44 | 8: April through November |
| Altoona | 19 | 81 | 45 | 8: April through November |
Asphalt driveway: what moves the price in Pennsylvania
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.
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Asphalt driveway in Pennsylvania: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in Pennsylvania?
$3,050 to $7,500 for 600 sq ft, using statewide wages and prices. Metro areas inside Pennsylvania can sit above or below that.
+Which city in Pennsylvania is cheapest for asphalt driveway?
Altoona at about $5,150 (midpoint, 600 sq ft). The priciest is State College at $5,400.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in Pennsylvania than the US average?
It is 1% more expensive: $5,300 against $5,250 for 600 sq ft at the midpoint.
+What share of the price is labor in Pennsylvania?
About 42% ($2,200). Materials are 56%. Statewide labor for this job is weighted 1.04x the national wage level.
+What do paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn in Pennsylvania?
The BLS statewide median is $26.93 an hour, against $25.64 for the US. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $23.42 to $30.58.
+Where does Pennsylvania rank for asphalt driveway costs?
22nd most expensive of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) at the midpoint, $5,300 for 600 sq ft. Rank 1 is the costliest.
+What do basic and premium asphalt driveway work cost in Pennsylvania?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $3,050 to $4,850 and premium work $5,750 to $7,500. 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 Pennsylvania?
Yes where winters or summers are hard. Of the Pennsylvania metros we cover, Philadelphia has the most comfortable months (9 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 Pennsylvania?
$610 to $1,200 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the statewide wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway by city in Pennsylvania
- State College, PA$5,400 midpoint
- Lancaster, PA$5,350 midpoint
- York, PA$5,350 midpoint
- Reading, PA$5,350 midpoint
- Allentown, PA$5,350 midpoint
- Harrisburg, PA$5,300 midpoint
- Scranton, PA$5,300 midpoint
- Philadelphia, PA$5,300 midpoint
- Chambersburg, PA$5,250 midpoint
- Pittsburgh, PA$5,250 midpoint
- Erie, PA$5,250 midpoint
- Altoona, PA$5,150 midpoint
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.