Concrete slab cost in Fort Smith, AR

Add-ons priced for Fort Smith

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Fort Smith by the average of the local wage index (0.72) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 0.83. 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.

Planning more than one job in Fort Smith?

Because every project leans on different trades, Fort Smith's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, asphalt driveway runs −15% and concrete driveway −22%.

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 Fort Smith is 0.72 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $18.70 an hour, which is 32% below the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $17.20 and $24.27 an hour. BLS counts 130 of them working in the area, 13.6 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 $17.77 an hour, 22% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $16.31 and $21.83 an hour. About 670 work in the metro. That is 70.1 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 $20.11 an hour, which is 30% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $18.15 and $21.12 an hour. BLS counts 440 of them working in the area, 46.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is deeper than average.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 10%) the local median is $20.39 an hour, which is 30% below the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $17.84 and $23.62 an hour. BLS counts 240 of them working in the area, 25.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is thinner 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 ($24.27 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $160. At the 25th percentile ($17.20) it shrinks by about $45. The total moves by 5.1% or 1.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 95,560 jobs in the Fort Smith area. That makes it the 210th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.06% of US employment.

When to schedule concrete slab in Fort Smith

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Ft Smith Rgnl Ap (in the city). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

March through June and September through October are the stretches where pouring concrete runs into the fewest weather problems in Fort Smith (6 of 12 months). January, February, November and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below; July and August have 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 and August, crews often start early, wet the base and plan for faster set times.

Fort Smith gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 3 inches of snow. The wettest months are April, May and June (5.6 inches in May). Inside the workable window, March and September are the driest, at 3.9 and 4.0 inches. The station averages about 78 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.

Fort Smith against nearby metros and the rest of Arkansas

Same job, same size (400 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. Joplin is the priciest of the group at $3,650.

Across 300 US metros, Fort Smith comes in at #299 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $5,300; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $3,200 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Fort Smith is 4% below the Arkansas figure.

Other Arkansas metros

Cities with a workforce like Fort Smith's

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

Concrete slab: what moves the price in Fort Smith

• Thickness and mix

  A 4-inch slab uses about 1.23 cubic yards of concrete per 100 sq ft; a 6-inch slab uses about 1.85. Stepping up from a 3,000 PSI to a 4,000-4,500 PSI mix adds $10-$40 per cubic yard (Estimators.us).

• Base and reinforcement

  A compacted gravel base, vapor barrier, and wire mesh or rebar are priced separately by some contractors and bundled by others. Ask which one your quote does.

• Truck and pump access

  If the mixer truck can't back up to the forms, someone has to wheelbarrow it in or hire a pump. Pump or line-pump hire is typically billed per day.

Pick a size, pick a tier: concrete slab pricing in Fort Smith

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Fort Smith 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 5 common sizes.