Asphalt driveway cost in Kennewick, WA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (600 sq ft)
- $3,600 – $9,000
- Per sq ft
- $5.90 – $14.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- +20%
- US $5,250
- Rank of 300 metros
- #16
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to pave a driveway in Kennewick, plan on $3,600 to $9,000 for 600 sq ft, all in. Per sq ft, that is $5.90 to $14.50 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 20% higher than the national one. Paving, surfacing and tamping equipment operators earn a median of $43.53 an hour in the Kennewick area, 70% above the US median of $25.64.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in Kennewick, WA, standard level
$5,200 to $7,350
About $8.50 to $12 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 48% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,700 | $3,550 |
| Labor | $2,400 | $3,650 |
| Permits and fees | $95 | $160 |
| Total | $5,200 | $7,350 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Kennewick, WA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,100 | $3,100 | $4,150 | 50% |
| Labor | $1,450 | $3,050 | $4,650 | 48% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $130 | $200 | 2% |
| Total | $3,600 | $6,300 | $9,000 | 100% |
What is behind the Kennewick number
Labor is 48% 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 Kennewick the blended ratio comes out at 1.43. 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 Kennewick 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 (100.1) and land at $50 to $200.
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 Kennewick. The wage table below marks each row.
Is Kennewick cheap or dear? The local comparison
Of the five closest metros, 4 are cheaper than Kennewick. Coeur d'Alene is the lowest at about $5,550 (midpoint, 600 sq ft), 150 miles away.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kennewick, WAthis page | $3,600 – $9,000 | $6,300 | |
| Yakima, WA70 miles | $3,300 – $8,050 | $5,700 | −10% |
| Spokane, WA140 miles | $3,550 – $8,800 | $6,200 | −2% |
| Seattle, WA145 miles | $3,750 – $9,450 | $6,600 | +5% |
| Coeur d'Alene, ID150 miles | $3,150 – $7,900 | $5,550 | −12% |
| Portland, OR165 miles | $3,450 – $8,500 | $5,950 | −5% |
| Washington (statewide) | $3,600 – $9,050 | $6,350 | +1% |
| United States | $3,050 – $7,400 | $5,250 | −17% |
Across 300 US metros, Kennewick comes in at #16 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, Kennewick is 1% below the Washington figure.
Other Washington metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA | 2,086,210 jobs | $3,750 – $9,450 | $6,600 | +5% |
| Spokane, WA | 255,820 jobs | $3,550 – $8,800 | $6,200 | −2% |
| Olympia, WA | 130,300 jobs | $3,700 – $9,350 | $6,500 | +4% |
| Yakima, WA | 97,010 jobs | $3,300 – $8,050 | $5,700 | −10% |
| Bremerton, WA | 93,740 jobs | $3,600 – $8,950 | $6,250 | level |
| Bellingham, WA | 91,390 jobs | $3,650 – $9,250 | $6,450 | +3% |
Cities with a workforce like Kennewick's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Kennewick against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waco, TX | 129,860 jobs | $2,750 – $6,550 | $4,650 | −26% |
| Elkhart, IN | 127,730 jobs | $2,900 – $7,100 | $5,000 | −20% |
| Olympia, WA | 130,300 jobs | $3,700 – $9,350 | $6,500 | +4% |
| Norwich, CT | 126,450 jobs | $3,250 – $8,100 | $5,650 | −10% |
Kennewick: what basic, standard and premium work costs
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Kennewick 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
$3,600 to $5,750
New topcoat over a sound base, flat lot
Standard
$5,200 to $7,350
Full new driveway: base, 2-3 in of hot mix, edging
Premium
$6,850 to $9,000
Full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,450 – $2,350 | $2,150 – $3,050 | $2,800 – $3,700 |
| 20x20 (400 sq ft) | $2,400 – $3,850 | $3,500 – $4,950 | $4,600 – $6,050 |
| 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft | $3,600 – $5,750 | $5,200 – $7,350 | $6,850 – $9,000 |
| long rural (10x100), 1,000 sq ft | $5,950 – $9,500 | $8,600 – $12,200 | $11,300 – $14,800 |
Add-ons priced for Kennewick
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Kennewick by the average of the local wage index (1.43) and goods index (1.05), a factor of 1.24. 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 | $740 – $1,500 |
Planning more than one job in Kennewick?
Because every project leans on different trades, Kennewick's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, concrete driveway runs +20% and concrete slab +14%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $4,300 – $11,100 | +20% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,900 – $11,700 | +15% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $3,450 – $6,250 | +15% |
| French drain | 60 linear ft | $710 – $2,450 | +18% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,850 – $5,900 | +14% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,400 – $4,650 | +16% |
Kennewick 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 Kennewick is 1.43 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 Kennewick 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 $26.32 an hour, 16% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.79 and $33.92 an hour. About 1,110 work in the metro. That is 85.7 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 $38.39 an hour, which is 33% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $33.53 and $48.81 an hour. BLS counts 460 of them working in the area, 35.5 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 2.9% or 4.3%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 129,490 jobs in the Kennewick-Richland area. That makes it the 169th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.08% 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% | $21.79 | $26.32 | $33.92 | $22.66 | 1.16 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $33.53 | $38.39 | $48.81 | $28.78 | 1.33 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 1.43 | |||||
Climate in Kennewick: timing your asphalt driveway job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Pasco Tri Cities Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.
March through June and September through October are the stretches where digging, grading and setting material in the ground runs into the fewest weather problems in Kennewick (6 of 12 months). January, February, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F); July and August have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
In January, February, November 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 112 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Kennewick gets about 8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, November and December (1.0 inches in January). Inside the workable window, June and September are the driest, at 0.6 and 0.3 inches. The station averages about 55 days a year at 90°F or above.
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 | 41 | 28 | 1.0 | Cold |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 0.6 | Cold |
| Mar | 59 | 33 | 0.7 | Workable |
| Apr | 67 | 38 | 0.7 | Workable |
| May | 77 | 46 | 0.7 | Workable |
| Jun | 83 | 53 | 0.6 | Workable |
| Jul | 93 | 57 | 0.1 | Hot |
| Aug | 91 | 56 | 0.3 | Hot |
| Sep | 81 | 48 | 0.3 | Workable |
| Oct | 66 | 38 | 0.7 | Workable |
| Nov | 50 | 32 | 0.9 | Cold |
| Dec | 41 | 27 | 1.0 | Cold |
Specs and site conditions that change a Kennewick bid
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.
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 $5,200 to $7,350 for Kennewick, WA is attached.
Detailed asphalt driveway report for Kennewick, WA, $9
Multi-page report for Kennewick, 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 Kennewick: your questions
+How much does it cost to pave a driveway in Kennewick?
For 600 sq ft, expect $3,600 to $9,000 in the Kennewick area. A standard-spec job lands at $5,200 to $7,350. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for asphalt driveway in Kennewick?
About $5.90 to $14.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $50 to $200 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $5 to $12.
+Is asphalt driveway cheaper in Kennewick or Yakima?
Yakima is 70 miles away. The midpoint for 600 sq ft there is $5,700, which is 10% less than Kennewick ($6,300). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Kennewick?
About 48% at the midpoint, or $3,050 out of $6,300. Materials are 50% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 41%.
+What would 2-car (20x30), 600 sq ft cost in Kennewick?
$3,600 to $9,000. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does asphalt driveway need a permit in Kennewick?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $50 to $200 for fees in the Kennewick area (our national range of $50 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Kennewick expensive for asphalt driveway compared with the rest of Washington?
Kennewick is 1% below 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 Kennewick?
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 Kennewick?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $3,600 to $5,750 and premium work $6,850 to $9,000. Basic means: new topcoat over a sound base, flat lot. Premium means: full tear-out and rebuild, drainage work, heavy-duty depth.
+When is the best time to pave a driveway in Kennewick?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are March through June and September through October. June and September are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
+What does "add a sealcoat" add in Kennewick?
$740 to $1,500 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Asphalt driveway near Kennewick
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.