Concrete driveway cost in La Crosse, WI

Extras that change the La Crosse total

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to La Crosse by the average of the local wage index (1.13) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 1.03. 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.

La Crosse: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for La Crosse 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.

Local wages behind the labor line

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 4 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for La Crosse is 1.13 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $29.26 an hour, which is 7% above the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $25.00 and $33.93 an hour. BLS counts 120 of them working in the area, 14.2 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is about average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $28.32 an hour, 25% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.49 and $35.41 an hour. About 610 work in the metro. That is 72.3 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 10%) the local median is $34.34 an hour, which is 19% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $28.40 and $44.77 an hour. BLS counts 120 of them working in the area, 14.2 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is thinner than average.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 10%) the local median is $28.34 an hour, which is in line with the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $23.93 and $36.95 an hour. BLS counts 450 of them working in the area, 53.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the cement masons and concrete finishers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($33.93 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $380. At the 25th percentile ($25.00) it shrinks by about $340. The total moves by 5.5% or 5.0%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 84,380 jobs in the La Crosse-Onalaska area. That makes it the 228th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.05% of US employment.

When to schedule concrete driveway in La Crosse

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for La Crosse Wfo (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

May through September is the stretch where pouring concrete runs into the fewest weather problems in La Crosse (5 of 12 months). January, February, March, April, October, November and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below.

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.

La Crosse gets about 37 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 54 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and August (5.3 inches in June). Inside the workable window, July and September are the driest, at 4.3 and 4.0 inches. The station averages about 3 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.

Planning more than one job in La Crosse?

Because every project leans on different trades, La Crosse's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, paver patio runs +10% and concrete slab +2%.

La Crosse against nearby metros and the rest of Wisconsin

Of the five closest metros, 2 are cheaper than La Crosse. Dubuque is the lowest at about $6,400 (midpoint, 600 sq ft), 85 miles away.

Across 300 US metros, La Crosse comes in at #77 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $10,000; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $4,950 (midpoints, 600 sq ft). Statewide, La Crosse is 2% below the Wisconsin figure.

Other Wisconsin metros

Cities with a workforce like La Crosse's

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is La Crosse against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Specs and site conditions that change a La Crosse bid

• 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.

• 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.