Asphalt driveway cost in Bellingham, WA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (600 sq ft)
- $3,650 – $9,250
- Per sq ft
- $6.05 – $15
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +24%
- US $5,250
- Rank of 300 metros
- #10
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to pave a driveway in Bellingham, plan on $3,650 to $9,250 for 600 sq ft, all in. Per sq ft, that is $6.05 to $15 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 24% higher than the national one. Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn a median of $43.53 an hour in the Bellingham area, 70% above the US median of $25.64.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in Bellingham, WA, standard level
$5,350 to $7,600
About $8.75 to $12.50 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 50% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,700 | $3,550 |
| Labor | $2,550 | $3,900 |
| Permits and fees | $100 | $160 |
| Total | $5,350 | $7,600 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Bellingham, WA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,100 | $3,100 | $4,150 | 48% |
| Labor | $1,550 | $3,200 | $4,900 | 50% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $130 | $210 | 2% |
| Total | $3,650 | $6,450 | $9,250 | 100% |
Why Bellingham prices look the way they do
Labor is 50% of the midpoint bill here, against 41% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (40%), construction laborers (30%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (30%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Bellingham the blended ratio comes out at 1.51. BLS does not publish this trade for the metro, so we used the Washington statewide median.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Bellingham metro is 105.0 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 600 sq ft comes to $3,100, compared with $2,950 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (103.3) and land at $50 to $210.
Data note: 40% of the labor weighting for this project uses a statewide median because BLS has no published metro figure for that trade in Bellingham. The wage table below marks each row.
How Bellingham compares
Of the five closest metros, 3 are cheaper than Bellingham. Yakima is the lowest at about $5,700 (midpoint, 600 sq ft), 175 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham, WAthis page | $3,650 – $9,250 | $6,450 | |
| Bremerton, WA90 miles | $3,600 – $8,950 | $6,250 | −3% |
| Seattle, WA95 miles | $3,750 – $9,450 | $6,600 | +2% |
| Olympia, WA140 miles | $3,700 – $9,350 | $6,500 | +1% |
| Yakima, WA175 miles | $3,300 – $8,050 | $5,700 | −12% |
| Spokane, WA200 miles | $3,550 – $8,800 | $6,200 | −4% |
| Washington (statewide) | $3,600 – $9,050 | $6,350 | −2% |
| United States | $3,050 – $7,400 | $5,250 | −19% |
Across 300 US metros, Bellingham comes in at #10 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, Bellingham is 2% above the Washington figure.
Other Washington metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | 2,086,210 jobs | $3,750 – $9,450 | $6,600 | +2% |
| Spokane, WA | 255,820 jobs | $3,550 – $8,800 | $6,200 | −4% |
| Olympia, WA | 130,300 jobs | $3,700 – $9,350 | $6,500 | +1% |
| Kennewick, WA | 129,490 jobs | $3,600 – $9,000 | $6,300 | −3% |
| Yakima, WA | 97,010 jobs | $3,300 – $8,050 | $5,700 | −12% |
| Bremerton, WA | 93,740 jobs | $3,600 – $8,950 | $6,250 | −3% |
Cities with a workforce like Bellingham's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Bellingham against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bremerton, WA | 93,740 jobs | $3,600 – $8,950 | $6,250 | −3% |
| Panama City, FL | 90,610 jobs | $2,850 – $6,850 | $4,850 | −25% |
| Oshkosh, WI | 93,750 jobs | $3,150 – $7,900 | $5,500 | −15% |
| St. George, UT | 90,500 jobs | $2,900 – $7,100 | $5,000 | −23% |
Extras that change the Bellingham total
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Bellingham by the average of the local wage index (1.51) and goods index (1.05), a factor of 1.28. 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 | $770 – $1,550 |
Specs and site conditions that change a Bellingham bid
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.
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.
Pick a size, pick a tier: asphalt driveway pricing in Bellingham
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Bellingham 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.
Basic
$3,650 to $5,900
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$5,350 to $7,600
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$7,000 to $9,250
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,500 – $2,450 | $2,200 – $3,150 | $2,900 – $3,850 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $2,450 – $3,950 | $3,600 – $5,100 | $4,750 – $6,250 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $3,650 – $5,900 | $5,350 – $7,600 | $7,000 – $9,250 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $6,100 – $9,750 | $8,850 – $12,500 | $11,600 – $15,300 |
Bellingham 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 Bellingham is 1.51 times the national level.
Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) carry 40% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Bellingham metro, so we used the Washington statewide median: $43.53 an hour against $25.64 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $35.49 and $49.04 an hour.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $28.06 an hour, 24% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.41 and $36.85 an hour. About 1,030 work in the metro. That is 112.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 30%) the local median is $44.00 an hour, which is 53% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $37.44 and $55.46 an hour. BLS counts 400 of them working in the area, 43.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than 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 ($49.04 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $180. At the 25th percentile ($35.49) it shrinks by about $270. The total moves by 2.8% or 4.1%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 91,390 jobs in the Bellingham area. That makes it the 217th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.06% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators (47-2071) | 40% | $35.49 | $43.53 | $49.04 | $25.64 | 1.70 | state |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $22.41 | $28.06 | $36.85 | $22.66 | 1.24 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $37.44 | $44.00 | $55.46 | $28.78 | 1.53 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.51 | |||||
Related projects, priced for Bellingham
Because every project leans on different trades, Bellingham's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, concrete driveway runs +24% and concrete slab +17%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $4,450 – $11,500 | +24% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $3,050 – $12,400 | +22% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,500 – $6,350 | +17% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $740 – $2,600 | +24% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,900 – $6,000 | +17% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,450 – $4,800 | +19% |
Climate in Bellingham: timing your asphalt driveway job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Bellingham Intl Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
Weather is not a serious constraint for digging, grading and setting material in the ground in Bellingham: no month in the averages is cold enough (an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F)) or hot enough (an average daytime high of 90°F or more) to rule it out, so the workable window is all year.
Bellingham gets about 35 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, November and December (5.2 inches in November).
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.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 34 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Feb | 49 | 35 | 2.9 | Workable |
| Mar | 53 | 38 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Apr | 58 | 42 | 2.8 | Workable |
| May | 64 | 47 | 2.2 | Workable |
| Jun | 68 | 52 | 1.6 | Workable |
| Jul | 73 | 55 | 0.9 | Workable |
| Aug | 73 | 55 | 1.1 | Workable |
| Sep | 68 | 50 | 2.0 | Workable |
| Oct | 59 | 43 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Nov | 51 | 38 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Dec | 46 | 34 | 4.3 | Workable |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $5,350 to $7,600 for Bellingham, WA is attached.
A detailed PDF report of this estimate, $9
Multi-page report for Bellingham, WA: low, typical and high cost, a line-item breakdown of materials and labor by trade, permit notes, the best months to schedule, a quote comparison sheet, red flags, questions for contractors, checklists and every source. Save your estimate above, preview page 1 free, and unlock the full report for $9 one-time, or get every report with CostLocal Pro.
Asphalt driveway in Bellingham: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in Bellingham?
For 600 sq ft, expect $3,650 to $9,250 in the Bellingham area. A standard-spec job lands at $5,350 to $7,600. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for asphalt driveway in Bellingham?
About $6.05 to $15 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $50 to $210 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $5 to $12.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in Bellingham or Bremerton?
Bremerton is 90 miles away. The midpoint for 600 sq ft there is $6,250, which is 3% less than Bellingham ($6,450). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Bellingham?
About 50% at the midpoint, or $3,200 out of $6,450. Materials are 48% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 41%.
+What would 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft cost in Bellingham?
$3,650 to $9,250. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does asphalt driveway need a permit in Bellingham?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $50 to $210 for fees in the Bellingham area (our national range of $50 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Bellingham expensive for asphalt driveway compared with the rest of Washington?
Bellingham is 2% above the Washington statewide estimate ($6,350 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in Washington; see the state page to compare them.
+What do paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn in Bellingham?
BLS has no published metro figure here, so we use the statewide median of $43.53 an hour, compared with $25.64 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $35.49 to $49.04.
+What do basic and premium asphalt driveway work cost in Bellingham?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $3,650 to $5,900 and premium work $7,000 to $9,250. Basic means: new topcoat over a sound base, flat lot. Premium means: full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth.
+Is there a bad season to pave a driveway in Bellingham?
Not from a temperature point of view. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals show no month with a freezing-level overnight low or a 90°F-plus average high, so timing is mostly about contractor availability and rain.
+What does "add a sealcoat" add in Bellingham?
$770 to $1,550 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway near Bellingham
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.