Concrete patio cost in Illinois

Wages behind the Illinois number

Illinois'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 1.37 times the national level.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $37.58 an hour, 37% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $27.82 and $47.56 an hour. About 5,890 work in the state. That is 9.7 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 $29.18 an hour, which is 29% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.14 and $45.79 an hour. BLS counts 35,940 of them working in the state, 58.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $37.98 an hour, 30% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $27.00 and $51.42 an hour. About 19,570 work in the state. That is 32.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $46.99 an hour, 63% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $33.28 and $52.56 an hour. About 12,290 work in the state. That is 20.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for cement masons and concrete finishers ($47.56 an hour) would add about $250 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($27.82) would take off about $240. Use that as a rough guide to how far a bid can sit from our midpoint on wages alone.

BLS counts 6,098,130 jobs across Illinois (May 2025), which is 3.9% of US employment.

Basic, standard or premium: Illinois 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 10x10 (100 sq ft) to 20x20 (400 sq ft).

Which Illinois city is cheapest for concrete patio?

1 of the 6 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $3,150, and the top-to-bottom gap is 15%. 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.

Why two Illinois quotes can differ

• Finish

  Plain concrete is $4-$12 per sq ft and a broom finish $6-$13; designs with several colors and decorative finishes run up to about $28 (HomeGuide).

• Site prep

  Excavation, forms and a gravel base are the unglamorous part of the bill and vary most with soil and slope.

• Size

  Small patios carry fixed costs for forms and mobilization, so the per-square-foot price drops as the patio gets bigger.

• Permit

  Permits run $50-$400 where required. Many cities don't require one for a small at-grade patio.

Illinois seasons and concrete patio

Weather decides when pouring concrete can happen, and Illinois 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.

Chicago has the longest comfortable season of the metros we cover in Illinois at 7 months (April through October); Bloomington has the shortest at 6 (May through October). Rainfall runs from 34 inches a year in Chicago to 40 inches in Springfield.

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.

Illinois against its neighbors

Illinois ranks 3 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for concrete patio, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $3,650 and the cheapest Arkansas at $2,250, both for 300 sq ft at the midpoint. Illinois sits at $3,150. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.

Extras that change the Illinois total

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.20 for Illinois, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.37) and goods price index (1.04). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Related projects, priced for Illinois

Each project weights the trades differently, so Illinois's wage level does not push every price by the same amount. Compared with the US midpoint, concrete driveway is +26% and wood deck +15%.