Concrete slab cost in Knoxville, TN

Climate in Knoxville: timing your concrete slab job

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

April through October is the stretch where pouring concrete runs into the fewest weather problems in Knoxville (7 of 12 months). 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.

Knoxville gets about 52 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 5 inches of snow. The wettest months are March, July and December (5.3 inches in July). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 3.5 and 2.8 inches. The station averages about 37 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.

Knoxville against nearby metros and the rest of Tennessee

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 $3,350 to $3,550 across Knoxville and its five closest metros.

Across 300 US metros, Knoxville comes in at #220 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $5,300; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $3,200 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Knoxville is 1% below the Tennessee figure.

Other Tennessee metros

Cities with a workforce like Knoxville's

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

Optional extras in Knoxville

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Knoxville by the average of the local wage index (0.86) and goods index (0.96), 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.

Planning more than one job in Knoxville?

Because every project leans on different trades, Knoxville's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, gravel driveway runs −7% and concrete driveway −11%.

Knoxville 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 Knoxville is 0.86 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 50%) the local median is $22.10 an hour, which is 19% below the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $20.71 and $23.82 an hour. BLS counts 550 of them working in the area, 13.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is about average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.18 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $18.16 and $25.87 an hour. About 3,640 work in the metro. That is 85.7 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 10%) the local median is $23.41 an hour, which is 19% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $21.22 and $27.74 an hour. BLS counts 1,210 of them working in the area, 28.5 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 $24.23 an hour, which is 17% below the national $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $22.11 and $28.56 an hour. BLS counts 1,280 of them working in the area, 30.1 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 ($23.82 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $50. At the 25th percentile ($20.71) it shrinks by about $40. The total moves by 1.4% or 1.2%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 424,600 jobs in the Knoxville area. That makes it the 59th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.27% of US employment.

Pick a size, pick a tier: concrete slab pricing in Knoxville

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

Why two Knoxville 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.