Concrete driveway cost in Durham, NC
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (600 sq ft)
- $3,300 – $8,150
- Per sq ft
- $5.40 – $13.50
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −11%
- US $6,450
- Rank of 300 metros
- #219
- 1 = most expensive
A concrete driveway in Durham, NC usually costs $3,300 to $8,150 for 600 sq ft. That works out to about $5.40 to $13.50 per sq ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $700 less. Cement masons and concrete finishers earn a median of $21.36 an hour in the Durham area, 22% below the US median of $27.41.
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Estimated cost for 600 sq ft in Durham, NC, standard level
$4,750 to $6,700
About $7.75 to $11 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 66% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,650 | $2,000 |
| Labor | $3,000 | $4,500 |
| Permits and fees | $95 | $150 |
| Total | $4,750 | $6,700 |
Cost breakdown for 600 sq ft in Durham, NC
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,350 | $1,850 | $2,300 | 32% |
| Labor | $1,900 | $3,750 | $5,650 | 66% |
| Permits and fees | $50 | $120 | $200 | 2% |
| Total | $3,300 | $5,700 | $8,150 | 100% |
Where the Durham price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on cement masons and concrete finishers, who do 50% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $21.36 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Durham is 0.86 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 66% of the total.
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Durham is at 96.6 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $1,900 nationally becomes $1,850 here (midpoint, 600 sq ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 97.6: $50 to $200.
Why two Durham 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.
What local crews earn in Durham
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 4 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Durham the blend is 0.86.
Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $21.36 an hour, 22% below the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $18.21 and $24.17 an hour. About 140 work in the metro. That is 4.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $22.38 an hour, which is in line with the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.03 and $25.15 an hour. BLS counts 1,120 of them working in the area, 32.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $24.44 an hour, 15% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.61 and $29.62 an hour. About 480 work in the metro. That is 14.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $24.78 an hour, 15% below the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $21.40 and $29.03 an hour. About 520 work in the metro. That is 15.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (cement masons and concrete finishers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $230 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $250. That is a swing of roughly 4.4% to 3.9% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Durham-Chapel Hill has 344,020 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 74th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051) | 50% | $18.21 | $21.36 | $24.17 | $27.41 | 0.78 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $19.03 | $22.38 | $25.15 | $22.66 | 0.99 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 10% | $22.61 | $24.44 | $29.62 | $28.78 | 0.85 | metro |
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 10% | $21.40 | $24.78 | $29.03 | $29.12 | 0.85 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.86 | |||||
Optional extras in Durham
Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.91 for Durham, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.86) and goods price index (0.97). The estimator above can add them to your total.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add rebar reinforcement | $550 – $1,650 |
| Remove the old driveway | $1,100 – $3,300 |
Planning more than one job in Durham?
Jobs that often go together with concrete driveway are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Durham wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, asphalt driveway comes out highest (−4%) and stamped concrete lowest (−9%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asphalt driveway | 600 sq ft | $2,950 – $7,150 | −4% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,350 – $9,600 | −6% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,800 | −8% |
| Stamped concrete | 400 sq ft | $3,000 – $7,200 | −9% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,850 – $5,150 | −5% |
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,150 – $3,600 | −9% |
Durham: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Durham. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft to 3-car (900 sq ft).
Basic
$3,300 to $5,250
Plain gray, 4-inch broom finish, flat site
Standard
$4,750 to $6,700
5-inch with rebar and saw-cut joints, a border or one color
Premium
$6,200 to $8,150
6-inch for heavy vehicles, stamped or colored, grading needed
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-car (12x20), 240 sq ft | $1,350 – $2,150 | $1,950 – $2,750 | $2,550 – $3,400 |
| 2-car (20x24), 480 sq ft | $2,650 – $4,200 | $3,800 – $5,400 | $5,000 – $6,550 |
| 2-car + apron (600 sq ft) | $3,300 – $5,250 | $4,750 – $6,700 | $6,200 – $8,150 |
| 3-car (900 sq ft) | $4,900 – $7,800 | $7,050 – $9,950 | $9,250 – $12,100 |
Durham weather and the concrete driveway calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Raleigh Durham Intl Ap (10 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For pouring concrete, the comfortable months in Durham are April through June and August through October: 6 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below, and July has an average daytime high of 90°F or more.
The 40°F line is a deliberately cautious stand-in. The American Concrete Institute's cold-weather guide (ACI 306R-16) defines cold-weather concreting around an average daily air temperature below 40°F, which is colder than our test of an average overnight low at or below 40°F, so we flag a few extra shoulder months. In cold weather crews may need heated enclosures, insulating blankets or accelerated mixes, and those measures can raise a quote.
Heat matters for concrete as well. With average highs of 90°F or more in July, crews often start early, wet the base and plan for faster set times.
Durham gets about 46 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are July, August and September (5.2 inches in September). Inside the workable window, May and October are the driest, at 3.4 and 3.4 inches. The station averages about 52 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 32 | 3.4 | Cold |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 2.8 | Cold |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 4.1 | Cold |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| May | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 5.0 | Hot |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.7 | Workable |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 5.2 | Workable |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.4 | Workable |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 3.3 | Cold |
| Dec | 55 | 34 | 3.4 | Cold |
Durham against nearby metros and the rest of North Carolina
Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 600 sq ft range from $5,300 to $5,800 across Durham and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Durham, NCthis page | $3,300 – $8,150 | $5,700 | |
| Burlington, NC15 miles | $3,250 – $8,000 | $5,600 | −2% |
| Greensboro, NC40 miles | $3,200 – $7,950 | $5,550 | −3% |
| Raleigh, NC40 miles | $3,350 – $8,300 | $5,800 | +2% |
| Fayetteville, NC65 miles | $3,100 – $7,550 | $5,300 | −7% |
| Winston, NC70 miles | $3,200 – $7,950 | $5,550 | −3% |
| North Carolina (statewide) | $3,300 – $8,150 | $5,750 | level |
| United States | $3,650 – $9,200 | $6,450 | +12% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Durham ranks #219 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Durham is 0% below the North Carolina figure.
Elsewhere in North Carolina
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | 1,358,370 jobs | $3,350 – $8,350 | $5,850 | +2% |
| Raleigh, NC | 743,120 jobs | $3,350 – $8,300 | $5,800 | +2% |
| Greensboro, NC | 365,410 jobs | $3,200 – $7,950 | $5,550 | −3% |
| Winston, NC | 271,980 jobs | $3,200 – $7,950 | $5,550 | −3% |
| Wilmington, NC | 191,280 jobs | $3,250 – $8,100 | $5,650 | −1% |
| Asheville, NC | 180,620 jobs | $3,300 – $8,200 | $5,750 | level |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Durham against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA | 349,880 jobs | $4,050 – $10,500 | $7,250 | +27% |
| North Port, FL | 339,940 jobs | $3,350 – $8,400 | $5,900 | +3% |
| Little Rock, AR | 358,210 jobs | $3,100 – $7,700 | $5,400 | −6% |
| El Paso, TX | 339,120 jobs | $3,000 – $7,300 | $5,150 | −10% |
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 $4,750 to $6,700 for Durham, NC is attached.
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Multi-page report for Durham, NC: 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.
Concrete driveway in Durham: your questions
+How much does it cost to pour a concrete driveway in Durham?
For 600 sq ft, expect $3,300 to $8,150 in the Durham area. A standard-spec job lands at $4,750 to $6,700. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for concrete driveway in Durham?
About $5.40 to $13.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $50 to $200 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $6 to $15.
+Is concrete driveway cheaper in Durham or Burlington?
Burlington is 15 miles away. The midpoint for 600 sq ft there is $5,600, which is 2% less than Durham ($5,700). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Durham?
About 66% at the midpoint, or $3,750 out of $5,700. Materials are 32% and permits 2%. Nationally, labor is 69%.
+What would 2-car + apron (600 sq ft) cost in Durham?
$3,300 to $8,150. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does concrete driveway need a permit in Durham?
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 Durham area (our national range of $50 to $200 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Durham expensive for concrete driveway compared with the rest of North Carolina?
Durham is 0% below the North Carolina statewide estimate ($5,750 at the midpoint). We cover 11 metros in North Carolina; see the state page to compare them.
+What do cement masons and concrete finishers earn in Durham?
The BLS median is $21.36 an hour in the Durham area, compared with $27.41 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $18.21 to $24.17.
+What do basic and premium concrete driveway work cost in Durham?
For 600 sq ft, basic work runs $3,300 to $5,250 and premium work $6,200 to $8,150. Basic means: plain gray, 4-inch broom finish, flat site. Premium means: 6-inch for heavy vehicles, stamped or colored, grading needed.
+When is the best time to pour a concrete driveway in Durham?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through June and August through October. May and October 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 rebar reinforcement" add in Durham?
$550 to $1,650 for 600 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Concrete driveway near Durham
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 a Concrete Driveway Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- SimplyWise: Concrete Estimate Template: Free PDF + Excel (2026) (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 = SimplyWise's sample 600 sq ft, 4-inch driveway line ($1,400-$2,400 in materials) divided by 600 sq ft.