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Concrete slab cost in Sioux City, IA

Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.

Typical range (400 sq ft)
$2,350 – $4,950
Per sq ft
$5.80 – $11.50
before permit
Versus US midpoint
−4%
US $3,850
Rank of 300 metros
#164
1 = most expensive

Sioux City homeowners pay roughly $2,350 to $4,950 to pour a concrete slab at 400 sq ft, or $5.80 to $11.50 per sq ft (permit not included). Against the US midpoint, Sioux City is 4% lower. Building materials run about 6% below the US average here (BEA goods price index 94.0).

Estimate your concrete slab cost

Pick a size, a quality level and where you live. Prices update as you type.

Quality level

4-5 inch slab with rebar or heavier mesh and standard base prep

Add-ons

Estimated cost for 400 sq ft in Sioux City, IA, standard level

$3,150 to $4,200

About $7.55 to $9.85 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 43% of the bill.

Cost breakdown
PartLowHigh
Materials$1,600$2,200
Labor$1,450$1,750
Permits and fees$130$260
Total$3,150$4,200
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Cost breakdown for 400 sq ft in Sioux City, IA

Part of the jobLowMidpointHighShare
Materials$1,150$1,900$2,65051%
Labor$1,200$1,600$2,00043%
Permits and fees$45$190$3505%
Total$2,350$3,650$4,950100%

Why Sioux City prices look the way they do

Labor is 43% of the midpoint bill here, against 42% nationally. The mix of trades behind this job is cement masons and concrete finishers (50%), construction laborers (30%), operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (10%), carpenters (10%). We weight each trade's local median wage by that share and compare it with the national median. In Sioux City the blended ratio comes out at 1.00.

On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Sioux City metro is 94.0 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 400 sq ft comes to $1,900, compared with $2,000 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (86.5) and land at $45 to $350.

Planning more than one job in Sioux City?

Because every project leans on different trades, Sioux City's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, asphalt driveway runs −1% and detached garage −6%.

Related projects with local prices
ProjectSizeRangevs. US
Concrete driveway600 sq ft$3,550 – $9,000−2%
Concrete patio300 sq ft$1,200 – $3,850−4%
Detached garage576 sq ft$27,200 – $54,500−6%
Stamped concrete400 sq ft$3,150 – $7,750−3%
Asphalt driveway600 sq ft$3,000 – $7,350−1%
Gravel driveway1,000 sq ft$2,450 – $9,900−3%

Why two Sioux City quotes can differ

  • 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.

  • 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).

Sioux City: what basic, standard and premium work costs

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Sioux City 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.

Basic

$2,350 to $3,400

4-inch broom-finish slab, light mesh, easy truck access

Standard

$3,150 to $4,200

4-5 inch slab with rebar or heavier mesh and standard base prep

Premium

$3,950 to $4,950

6-inch slab, heavy reinforcement, thick base, pump truck or tight access

Cost by size and quality level
SizeBasicStandardPremium
10x10 pad (100 sq ft)$620 – $980$890 – $1,250$1,150 – $1,500
12x12 (144 sq ft)$880 – $1,350$1,200 – $1,650$1,550 – $2,000
20x20 (400 sq ft)$2,350 – $3,400$3,150 – $4,200$3,950 – $4,950
24x24 garage floor (576 sq ft)$3,400 – $4,850$4,450 – $5,900$5,550 – $7,000
30x40 foundation (1,200 sq ft)$7,000 – $9,900$9,200 – $12,100$11,300 – $14,200

Is Sioux City cheap or dear? The local comparison

Same job, same size (400 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. Waterloo is the priciest of the group at $3,800. Sioux Falls is the cheapest at $3,550.

Comparison with nearby areas
AreaRangeMidpointvs. here
Sioux City, IAthis page$2,350 – $4,950$3,650
Sioux Falls, SD75 miles$2,250 – $4,850$3,550−3%
Omaha, NE85 miles$2,300 – $4,850$3,600−2%
Lincoln, NE120 miles$2,300 – $4,850$3,550−3%
Des Moines, IA145 miles$2,450 – $5,100$3,750+2%
Waterloo, IA195 miles$2,500 – $5,150$3,800+4%
Iowa (statewide)$2,400 – $5,000$3,700+1%
United States$2,450 – $5,200$3,850+4%

Across 300 US metros, Sioux City comes in at #164 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $5,300; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $3,200 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Sioux City is 1% below the Iowa figure.

Other Iowa metros

Iowa metros compared with Sioux City
MetroSizeRangeMidpointvs. here
Des Moines, IA404,130 jobs$2,450 – $5,100$3,750+2%
Davenport, IA180,450 jobs$2,500 – $5,150$3,800+4%
Cedar Rapids, IA139,260 jobs$2,400 – $5,050$3,700+1%
Iowa City, IA93,760 jobs$2,350 – $5,000$3,700level
Waterloo, IA84,260 jobs$2,500 – $5,150$3,800+4%
Dubuque, IA58,470 jobs$2,400 – $5,050$3,700+1%

Cities with a workforce like Sioux City's

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

Metros closest to this one by total employment
MetroSizeRangeMidpointvs. here
Abilene, TX75,070 jobs$2,150 – $4,600$3,350−8%
Blacksburg, VA74,070 jobs$2,200 – $4,750$3,450−6%
Kenosha, WI75,450 jobs$2,600 – $5,500$4,050+11%
Rapid City, SD73,820 jobs$2,250 – $4,800$3,550−3%

When to schedule concrete slab in Sioux City

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Sioux City Gateway Ap (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 Sioux City (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.

Sioux City gets about 29 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 36 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and August (4.3 inches in June). Inside the workable window, July and September are the driest, at 3.4 and 2.8 inches. The station averages about 25 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.

Monthly normals, Sioux City Gateway Ap (NOAA, 1991-2020)
MonthAvg high °FAvg low °FPrecip (in)For this job
Jan30100.7Cold
Feb34150.9Cold
Mar48261.8Cold
Apr61373.1Cold
May72493.9Workable
Jun82594.3Workable
Jul85633.4Workable
Aug83613.9Workable
Sep77512.8Workable
Oct63382.2Cold
Nov47251.3Cold
Dec33151.0Cold

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 Sioux City is 1.00 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $27.60 an hour, which is in line with the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $22.32 and $28.75 an hour. BLS counts 120 of them working in the area, 16.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $23.38 an hour, 3% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.71 and $28.72 an hour. About 560 work in the metro. That is 74.7 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 $28.43 an hour, which is in line with the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $24.63 and $30.32 an hour. BLS counts 200 of them working in the area, 26.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.

For carpenters (47-2031, weighted 10%) the local median is $24.57 an hour, which is 16% below the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $22.02 and $29.52 an hour. BLS counts 350 of them working in the area, 46.7 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 43.1), so the local bench is about average.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the cement masons and concrete finishers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($28.75 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $35. At the 25th percentile ($22.32) it shrinks by about $150. The total moves by 0.9% or 4.2%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 75,010 jobs in the Sioux City area. That makes it the 247th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.05% of US employment.

Median hourly wages behind the labor line (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
TradeWeight25th pctMedian75th pctUS medianRatioLevel used
Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051)50%$22.32$27.60$28.75$27.411.01metro
Construction laborers (47-2061)30%$21.71$23.38$28.72$22.661.03metro
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073)10%$24.63$28.43$30.32$28.780.99metro
Carpenters (47-2031)10%$22.02$24.57$29.52$29.120.84metro
Blended100%1.00

Add-ons priced for Sioux City

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Sioux City by the average of the local wage index (1.00) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 0.97. 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.

Add-on prices
Add-onLocal range
Add rebar reinforcement$390 – $1,150
Remove old concrete first$770 – $2,300

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 $3,150 to $4,200 for Sioux City, IA is attached.

A detailed PDF report of this estimate, $9

Multi-page report for Sioux City, IA: 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 slab in Sioux City: your questions

+How much does it cost to pour a concrete slab in Sioux City?

For 400 sq ft, expect $2,350 to $4,950 in the Sioux City area. A standard-spec job lands at $3,150 to $4,200. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.

+What is the price per sq ft for concrete slab in Sioux City?

About $5.80 to $11.50 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $45 to $350 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $6 to $12.

+Is concrete slab cheaper in Sioux City or Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is 75 miles away. The midpoint for 400 sq ft there is $3,550, which is 3% less than Sioux City ($3,650). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.

+How much of the bill is labor in Sioux City?

About 43% at the midpoint, or $1,600 out of $3,650. Materials are 51% and permits 5%. Nationally, labor is 42%.

+What would 20x20 (400 sq ft) cost in Sioux City?

$2,350 to $4,950. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.

+Does concrete slab need a permit in Sioux City?

Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $45 to $350 for fees in the Sioux City area (our national range of $50 to $400 scaled by the local price level).

+Is Sioux City expensive for concrete slab compared with the rest of Iowa?

Sioux City is 1% below the Iowa statewide estimate ($3,700 at the midpoint). We cover 7 metros in Iowa; see the state page to compare them.

+What do cement masons and concrete finishers earn in Sioux City?

The BLS median is $27.60 an hour in the Sioux City area, compared with $27.41 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $22.32 to $28.75.

+What do basic and premium concrete slab work cost in Sioux City?

For 400 sq ft, basic work runs $2,350 to $3,400 and premium work $3,950 to $4,950. Basic means: 4-inch broom-finish slab, light mesh, easy truck access. Premium means: 6-inch slab, heavy reinforcement, thick base, pump truck or tight access.

+When is the best time to pour a concrete slab in Sioux City?

Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are May through September. July and September 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 Sioux City?

$390 to $1,150 for 400 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.

Concrete slab near Sioux City

Concrete slab: all pricesConcrete slab in IowaAll projects in Sioux CityIowa cost hub

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.