Concrete slab cost in Rochester, NY

Rochester labor market for concrete slab

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 Rochester is 1.07 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $29.99 an hour, which is 9% above the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $24.06 and $35.14 an hour. BLS counts 290 of them working in the area, 5.9 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 $23.70 an hour, 5% above the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.93 and $30.93 an hour. About 2,550 work in the metro. That is 51.6 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 $31.60 an hour, which is 10% above the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $25.50 and $44.21 an hour. BLS counts 910 of them working in the area, 18.4 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 $28.60 an hour, which is in line with the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $24.10 and $35.00 an hour. BLS counts 2,350 of them working in the area, 47.5 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 ($35.14 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $150. At the 25th percentile ($24.06) it shrinks by about $170. The total moves by 3.8% or 4.4%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 494,280 jobs in the Rochester area. That makes it the 52nd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.32% of US employment.

Specs and site conditions that change a Rochester bid

• 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.

Cost by quality level and size in Rochester

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

Planning more than one job in Rochester?

Because every project leans on different trades, Rochester's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, concrete driveway runs +5% and detached garage +2%.

Optional extras in Rochester

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Rochester by the average of the local wage index (1.07) and goods index (1.00), 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.

How Rochester compares

Contractors rarely work more than an hour or two from home, so the neighboring metros set a rough ceiling and floor for your quotes. Midpoints for 400 sq ft range from $3,800 to $3,950 across Rochester and its five closest metros.

Across 300 US metros, Rochester comes in at #86 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $5,300; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $3,200 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Rochester is 8% below the New York figure.

Other New York metros

Cities with a workforce like Rochester's

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

Climate in Rochester: timing your concrete slab job

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

May through October is the stretch where pouring concrete runs into the fewest weather problems in Rochester (6 of 12 months). January, February, March, April, 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.

Rochester gets about 35 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 102 inches of snow. The wettest months are June, July and August (3.6 inches in July). Inside the workable window, May and September are the driest, at 2.9 and 3.2 inches. The station averages about 8 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.