Stamped concrete cost in Modesto, CA

Optional extras in Modesto

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.20 for Modesto, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.34) and goods price index (1.05). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Planning more than one job in Modesto?

Jobs that often go together with stamped concrete are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Modesto wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, concrete driveway comes out highest (+24%) and paver patio lowest (+15%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.

What local crews earn in Modesto

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 Modesto the blend is 1.34.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 60% of the weighting: a median of $36.78 an hour, 34% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $28.19 and $48.46 an hour. About 350 work in the metro. That is 17.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $29.15 an hour, which is 29% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.89 and $38.02 an hour. BLS counts 1,070 of them working in the area, 54.8 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 $43.54 an hour, 51% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $32.57 and $62.15 an hour. About 430 work in the metro. That is 22.0 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 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 $690 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $510. That is a swing of roughly 7.6% to 10.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Modesto has 195,230 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 117th by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Modesto weather and the stamped concrete calendar

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Modesto City Co 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 Modesto are February through May and September through November: 7 of 12. Outside them, January and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below, and June, July and August have 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 June, July and August, crews often start early, wet the base and plan for faster set times.

Modesto gets about 12 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are January, February and December (2.6 inches in January). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 0.1 and 0.6 inches. The station averages about 90 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.

Is Modesto cheap or dear? The local comparison

Same job, same size (400 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. San Jose is the priciest of the group at $6,950. Merced is the cheapest at $5,800.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Modesto ranks #10 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Modesto is 6% above the California figure.

Elsewhere in California

Metros of a similar size

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

Specs and site conditions that change a Modesto bid

• Specialist labor

  Stamping has to be done before the concrete sets, so crews arrive in larger teams and charge for it.

• Sealing and vapor barrier

  Sealer is usually quoted separately; vapor barrier material is $0.20-$1.50 per sq ft depending on thickness (HomeGuide).

• Not included

  These prices don't include site prep that depends on the project: demolition, grading, or a thicker base.

Pick a size, pick a tier: stamped concrete pricing in Modesto

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Modesto. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 10x20 patio (200 sq ft) to 2-car driveway (600 sq ft).