Concrete slab cost in Illinois

Concrete slab: what moves the price in Illinois

• 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.

• Small-job minimums

  Many crews have a minimum charge, so a 10x10 pad can cost more per square foot than a 20x20 slab.

• Finish

  A broom finish is the baseline. Stamped, stained, or exposed-aggregate finishes are priced as add-ons on top of the slab.

What cement masons and concrete finishers and the other trades earn in Illinois

Statewide wages come from BLS's state-level estimates, which blend big cities with small towns and rural areas. 4 trades drive the labor line for this job, and the weighted ratio against the national wage level is 1.37 for Illinois.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $37.58 an hour, which is 37% above the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $27.82 and $47.56 an hour. BLS counts 5,890 of them working in the state, 9.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is thinner than average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $29.18 an hour, 29% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.14 and $45.79 an hour. About 35,940 work in the state. That is 58.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 10%) the local median is $46.99 an hour, which is 63% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $33.28 and $52.56 an hour. BLS counts 12,290 of them working in the state, 20.2 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 $37.98 an hour, which is 30% above the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $27.00 and $51.42 an hour. BLS counts 19,570 of them working in the state, 32.1 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is thinner than average.

A crew paid at the 75th percentile for cement masons and concrete finishers ($47.56 an hour) would add about $290 to the statewide midpoint; one at the 25th percentile ($27.82) would take off about $280. 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.

Quality levels and sizes in Illinois

The cited range is cut into three overlapping bands (basic, standard and premium) and scaled to statewide Illinois wages and prices. The grid prices the same bands at 5 common sizes.

Illinois seasons and concrete slab

Season matters for concrete slab. For each Illinois metro below we took NOAA's 1991-2020 monthly normals from the nearest suitable station and counted comfortable months for pouring concrete.

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.

Optional extras in Illinois

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Illinois by the average of the local wage index (1.37) and goods index (1.04), a factor of 1.20. 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.

If you are planning more than one job in Illinois

The table prices neighboring jobs at their usual sizes using statewide Illinois wages and prices. Against national midpoints, concrete driveway comes out highest (+26%) and detached garage lowest (+19%), because each job leans on different trades.

Illinois metro-by-metro prices

1 of the 6 metros sit above the statewide midpoint of $4,500, 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.

Illinois against its neighbors

Illinois ranks 3 of 51 (the 50 states plus DC) for concrete slab, where 1 is the most expensive. The costliest is Hawaii at $5,150 and the cheapest Arkansas at $3,350, both for 400 sq ft at the midpoint. Illinois sits at $4,500. The five states closest by workforce center are listed below.