Concrete slab cost in Kingsport, TN

The best months for concrete slab in Kingsport

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Kingsport (in the city). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.

For pouring concrete, the comfortable months in Kingsport are April through October: 7 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, 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.

Kingsport gets about 45 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are February, March and July (5.0 inches in July). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.0 and 2.4 inches. The station averages about 28 days a year at 90°F or above.

We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.

Why two Kingsport quotes can differ

• 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.

Optional extras in Kingsport

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.90 for Kingsport, which is the average of the area's wage index (0.84) and goods price index (0.96). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Related projects, priced for Kingsport

Jobs that often go together with concrete slab are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Kingsport wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, gravel driveway comes out highest (−5%) and concrete driveway lowest (−13%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.

Who does the work: Kingsport trade wages

The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 4 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Kingsport the blend is 0.84.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $20.59 an hour, 25% below the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $16.63 and $23.25 an hour. About 90 work in the metro. That is 7.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $21.81 an hour, which is 4% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.40 and $23.70 an hour. BLS counts 1,430 of them working in the area, 119.6 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $26.90 an hour, 7% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $21.49 and $36.27 an hour. About 770 work in the metro. That is 64.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $23.24 an hour, 20% below the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $18.84 and $27.43 an hour. About 390 work in the metro. That is 32.6 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (cement masons and concrete finishers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $80 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $120. That is a swing of roughly 3.3% to 2.2% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Kingsport-Bristol has 119,560 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 183rd by size among the 300 metros on this site.

How Kingsport compares

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

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Kingsport ranks #242 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Kingsport is 2% below the Tennessee figure.

Elsewhere in Tennessee

Metros of a similar size

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

Kingsport: what basic, standard and premium work costs

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Kingsport. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 10x10 pad (100 sq ft) to 30x40 foundation (1,200 sq ft).