Asphalt driveway cost in Tennessee

Wages behind the Tennessee 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 0.87 for Tennessee.

For paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071, weighted 40%) the local median is $20.44 an hour, which is 20% below the national $25.64. The middle half of them earn between $18.16 and $24.88 an hour. BLS counts 1,730 of them working in the state, 5.3 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 $21.64 an hour, 5% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.11 and $23.78 an hour. About 26,250 work in the state. That is 80.1 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 $25.00 an hour, which is 13% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.35 and $28.54 an hour. BLS counts 10,660 of them working in the state, 32.5 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 ($24.88 an hour) would add about $150 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($18.16) would take off about $75. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 3,278,760 jobs across Tennessee (May 2025), which is 2.1% of US employment.

Asphalt driveway cost by metro in Tennessee

3 of the 8 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,800, and the top-to-bottom gap is 8%. 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.

Weather windows across Tennessee

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

Knoxville has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Tennessee at 11 months (February through December); Jackson has the shortest at 7 (March through June and September through November). Rainfall runs from 44 inches a year in Johnson City to 57 inches in Jackson.

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.

Quality levels and sizes in Tennessee

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

Tennessee against its neighbors

Tennessee ranks 45 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. Tennessee sits at $4,800. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.

Add-ons priced for Tennessee

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Tennessee by the average of the local wage index (0.87) and goods index (0.96), 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.

Asphalt driveway: what moves the price in Tennessee

• 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.

If you are planning more than one job in Tennessee

The table prices neighboring jobs at their usual sizes using statewide Tennessee wages and prices. Against national midpoints, paver patio comes out highest (−3%) and concrete driveway lowest (−10%), because each job leans on different trades.