Concrete slab cost in Olympia, WA

Who does the work: Olympia 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 Olympia the blend is 1.28.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $36.47 an hour, 33% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $27.97 and $45.34 an hour. About 120 work in the metro. That is 9.2 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 $25.52 an hour, which is 13% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.90 and $33.85 an hour. BLS counts 730 of them working in the area, 56.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is thinner than average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $49.55 an hour, 72% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $33.47 and $54.71 an hour. About 260 work in the metro. That is 20.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $30.41 an hour, 4% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $28.58 and $36.82 an hour. About 800 work in the metro. That is 61.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, which suggests plenty of 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 $260 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $250. That is a swing of roughly 5.7% to 5.9% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has 130,300 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 167th by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Olympia against nearby metros and the rest of Washington

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 $4,350 to $4,550 across Olympia and its five closest metros.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Olympia ranks #13 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Olympia is 1% below the Washington figure.

Elsewhere in Washington

Metros of a similar size

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

Cost by quality level and size in Olympia

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Olympia. 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).

Related projects, priced for Olympia

Jobs that often go together with concrete slab are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Olympia wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, asphalt driveway comes out highest (+25%) and detached garage lowest (+10%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.

The best months for concrete slab in Olympia

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Olympia Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.

For pouring concrete, the comfortable months in Olympia are May through October: 6 of 12. Outside them, 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.

Olympia gets about 51 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 4 inches of snow. The wettest months are January, November and December (8.2 inches in November). Inside the workable window, July and August are the driest, at 0.5 and 1.0 inches. The station averages about 7 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.

Extras that change the Olympia total

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.17 for Olympia, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.28) and goods price index (1.05). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Concrete slab: what moves the price in Olympia

• 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).