Paver patio cost in Billings, MT

Who does the work: Billings trade wages

The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 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 Billings the blend is 1.02.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $23.68 an hour, which is 5% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $21.42 and $28.31 an hour. BLS counts 830 of them working in the area, 88.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Brickmasons and blockmasons (47-2021) carry 30% of the labor weighting. BLS does not publish this trade for the Billings metro, so we used the Montana statewide median: $26.94 an hour against $29.87 for the US. The middle half of them earn between $23.24 and $29.69 an hour.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers (37-3011), 20% of the weighting: a median of $21.27 an hour, 13% above the US median of $18.82. The middle half of them earn between $17.59 and $24.86 an hour. About 630 work in the metro. That is 67.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 61.3 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $260 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $130. That is a swing of roughly 3.0% to 6.2% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Billings has 93,800 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 213th by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Optional extras in Billings

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 0.99 for Billings, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.02) and goods price index (0.96). The estimator above can add them to your total.

The best months for paver patio in Billings

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

For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Billings are April through October: 7 of 12. Outside them, January, February, March, November and December have an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).

In January, February, March, November and December the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 142 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.

Billings gets about 14 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 57 inches of snow. The wettest months are April, May and June (2.4 inches in May). Inside the workable window, July and August are the driest, at 1.2 and 0.9 inches. The station averages about 32 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.

Billings: what basic, standard and premium work costs

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Billings. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 12x12 (144 sq ft) to pool deck (800 sq ft).

Billings against nearby metros and the rest of Montana

Same job, same size (300 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. Bozeman is the priciest of the group at $4,400. Rapid City is the cheapest at $4,000.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Billings ranks #145 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Billings is 1% below the Montana figure.

Elsewhere in Montana

Metros of a similar size

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

Why two Billings quotes can differ

• Excavation and grading

  Digging out is $1-$5 per sq ft; regrading a sloped yard is $0.40-$2.00 per sq ft.

• Pattern

  Herringbone and curves take longer to lay and waste more stone than a running bond.

• Permit

  At-grade patios often need no permit; add a retaining wall, a cover, or a connection to the house and that changes.

What nearby projects cost in Billings

Jobs that often go together with paver patio are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Billings wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, concrete driveway comes out highest (+3%) and retaining wall lowest (−4%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.