Concrete slab cost in Durham, NC

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 Durham is 0.86 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $21.36 an hour, which is 22% below the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $18.21 and $24.17 an hour. BLS counts 140 of them working in the area, 4.1 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 $22.38 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.03 and $25.15 an hour. About 1,120 work in the metro. That is 32.6 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 $24.44 an hour, which is 15% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $22.61 and $29.62 an hour. BLS counts 480 of them working in the area, 14.0 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 $24.78 an hour, which is 15% below the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $21.40 and $29.03 an hour. BLS counts 520 of them working in the area, 15.1 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 ($24.17 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $80. At the 25th percentile ($18.21) it shrinks by about $90. The total moves by 2.3% or 2.6%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 344,020 jobs in the Durham-Chapel Hill area. That makes it the 74th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.22% of US employment.

Durham: what basic, standard and premium work costs

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

When to schedule concrete slab in Durham

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Raleigh Durham Intl Ap (10 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

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

Durham gets about 46 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are July, August and September (5.2 inches in September). Inside the workable window, May and October are the driest, at 3.4 and 3.4 inches. The station averages about 52 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.

Extras that change the Durham total

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Durham by the average of the local wage index (0.86) and goods index (0.97), a factor of 0.91. 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.

Why two Durham quotes can differ

• 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).

• 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.

Is Durham cheap or dear? The local comparison

Of the five closest metros, 4 are cheaper than Durham. Fayetteville is the lowest at about $3,350 (midpoint, 400 sq ft), 65 miles away.

Across 300 US metros, Durham comes in at #214 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $5,300; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $3,200 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Durham is 0% above the North Carolina figure.

Other North Carolina metros

Cities with a workforce like Durham's

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

Related projects, priced for Durham

Because every project leans on different trades, Durham's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, asphalt driveway runs −4% and concrete driveway −11%.