Concrete driveway cost in Nebraska

Nebraska labor market for concrete driveway

Nebraska's labor line is priced from 4 trades, each compared with its US median wage. After weighting by each trade's share of the work, the state comes out at 0.92 times the national level.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $23.80 an hour, 13% below the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $22.58 and $28.76 an hour. About 3,200 work in the state. That is 31.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $22.72 an hour, which is in line with the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.38 and $26.71 an hour. BLS counts 8,530 of them working in the state, 83.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $28.06 an hour, in line with the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.05 and $30.52 an hour. About 3,180 work in the state. That is 31.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $24.19 an hour, 17% below the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $21.77 and $30.09 an hour. About 5,710 work in the state. That is 55.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for cement masons and concrete finishers ($28.76 an hour) would add about $400 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($22.58) would take off about $100. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 1,024,370 jobs across Nebraska (May 2025), which is 0.7% of US employment.

Why two Nebraska quotes can differ

• Thickness

  HomeGuide prices a standard 4-inch driveway at $6-$15/sq ft and a 6-inch one, recommended for heavy vehicles, at $8-$20/sq ft.

• Old driveway removal

  Tearing out the old surface adds about $2-$6 per sq ft, and some cities want the haul-off documented.

• Grading and drainage

  Professional grading runs $3-$8 per sq ft or $700-$2,500 for a typical job. A sloped lot or poor soil raises it.

• Finish

  Decorative driveways run $10-$25 per sq ft installed: colors and borders at $10-$15, stamped patterns at $15-$20, and high-end finishes at $20-$25+ (HomeGuide).

• Permits and the apron

  A driveway permit is typically $50-$200 and is often required for new work. The apron where the driveway meets the street can need a separate right-of-way permit.

How Nebraska compares with nearby states

Nebraska ranks 37 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for concrete driveway, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $9,600 and the cheapest Mississippi at $5,400, both for 600 sq ft at the midpoint. Nebraska sits at $5,950. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.

Basic, standard or premium: Nebraska prices

Bands overlap on purpose, since a good standard job can cost as much as a light premium one. Below are the three bands for the default size, then a grid from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to 3-car (900 sq ft).

Optional extras in Nebraska

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.93 for Nebraska, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.92) and goods price index (0.94). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Which Nebraska city is cheapest for concrete driveway?

1 of the 2 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $5,950, and the top-to-bottom gap is 1%. 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.

Other Nebraska jobs that often go with concrete driveway

Each project weights the trades differently, so Nebraska's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, paver patio is −3% and concrete patio −8%.

When Nebraska weather lets you pour

Weather decides when pouring concrete can happen, and Nebraska is not uniform. The table uses NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals from the weather station nearest each metro we cover, and counts the months that are neither cold nor hot enough to complicate the job.

Omaha has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Nebraska at 7 months (April through October); Lincoln has the shortest at 6 (May through October). Rainfall runs from 29 inches a year in Lincoln to 32 inches in Omaha.

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.