Stamped concrete cost in Lincoln, NE

Is Lincoln cheap or dear? The local comparison

Same job, same size (400 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. Kansas City is the priciest of the group at $5,650.

Across 300 US metros, Lincoln comes in at #183 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $8,150; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $4,550 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Lincoln is 0% above the Nebraska figure.

Other Nebraska metros

Cities with a workforce like Lincoln's

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

Related projects, priced for Lincoln

Because every project leans on different trades, Lincoln's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, gravel driveway runs −3% and concrete driveway −7%.

Extras that change the Lincoln total

Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Lincoln by the average of the local wage index (0.92) and goods index (0.94), a factor of 0.93. 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.

Cost by quality level and size in Lincoln

Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Lincoln 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 3 common sizes.

Local wages behind the labor line

Wages are the part of this estimate that changes most from town to town. 3 trades carry the job here, and each is compared with its US median. The weighted result for Lincoln is 0.92 times the national level.

For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 60%) the local median is $24.02 an hour, which is 12% below the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $22.88 and $28.82 an hour. BLS counts 700 of them working in the area, 38.3 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is deeper than average.

Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $22.45 an hour, in line with the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $19.28 and $24.46 an hour. About 1,250 work in the metro. That is 68.4 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 10%) the local median is $29.24 an hour, which is in line with the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $24.86 and $30.19 an hour. BLS counts 490 of them working in the area, 26.8 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), so the local bench is about average.

Quotes come from real crews, not medians. If the cement masons and concrete finishers on your job are paid at the 75th percentile ($28.82 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $280. At the 25th percentile ($22.88) it shrinks by about $65. The total moves by 5.4% or 1.3%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.

For context on the local economy, BLS counts 182,620 jobs in the Lincoln area. That makes it the 126th largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.12% of US employment.

When to schedule stamped concrete in Lincoln

We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Lincoln Muni Ap (5 miles from the city center). These are 30-year monthly averages, not forecasts.

May through October is the stretch where pouring concrete runs into the fewest weather problems in Lincoln (6 of 12 months). 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.

Lincoln gets about 29 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 26 inches of snow. The wettest months are May, June and August (4.9 inches in May). Inside the workable window, September and October are the driest, at 2.9 and 2.1 inches. The station averages about 42 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.

Why two Lincoln quotes can differ

• Not included

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

• Pattern and color

  Basic to average coloring runs $8-$19 per sq ft. A 2-car stamped driveway runs $12-$18 per sq ft (HomeGuide); Estimators.us puts decorative slabs at $15-$30.

• Specialist labor

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