Stamped concrete cost in Hickory, NC
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (400 sq ft)
- $2,950 – $7,100
- Per sq ft
- $7.25 – $17
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −10%
- US $5,600
- Rank of 300 metros
- #240
- 1 = most expensive
If you want to pour stamped concrete in Hickory, plan on $2,950 to $7,100 for 400 sq ft, all in. Per sq ft, that is $7.25 to $17 for materials and labor, with the permit on top. The local midpoint runs 10% lower than the national one. Cement masons and concrete finishers earn a median of $21.43 an hour in the Hickory area, 22% below the US median of $27.41.
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Estimated cost for 400 sq ft in Hickory, NC, standard level
$4,200 to $5,850
About $10 to $14 per sq ft before permits. Labor is about 45% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $2,250 | $2,950 |
| Labor | $1,800 | $2,700 |
| Permits and fees | $120 | $230 |
| Total | $4,200 | $5,850 |
Cost breakdown for 400 sq ft in Hickory, NC
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $1,750 | $2,600 | $3,500 | 52% |
| Labor | $1,150 | $2,250 | $3,350 | 45% |
| Permits and fees | $45 | $180 | $310 | 4% |
| Total | $2,950 | $5,050 | $7,100 | 100% |
Where the Hickory price comes from
The wage side of the estimate leans on cement masons and concrete finishers, who do 60% of the hours on a typical job. Their local median is $21.43 an hour. Add the other trades involved and the blended wage index for Hickory is 0.83 (US = 1.00), which puts labor at 45% of the total.
On the materials line, the BEA goods price index for the Hickory metro is 96.6 (US = 100). The midpoint materials bill for 400 sq ft comes to $2,600, compared with $2,700 at national prices. Permit and inspection fees are scaled by the broader index (88.5) and land at $45 to $310.
How Hickory compares
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 $5,000 to $5,200 across Hickory and its five closest metros.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickory, NCthis page | $2,950 – $7,100 | $5,050 | |
| Johnson City, TN60 miles | $2,950 – $7,150 | $5,050 | +1% |
| Charlotte, NC60 miles | $3,000 – $7,350 | $5,200 | +3% |
| Asheville, NC65 miles | $3,000 – $7,250 | $5,100 | +2% |
| Winston, NC65 miles | $2,950 – $7,050 | $5,000 | −1% |
| Spartanburg, SC70 miles | $3,000 – $7,200 | $5,100 | +1% |
| North Carolina (statewide) | $3,000 – $7,250 | $5,100 | +2% |
| United States | $3,250 – $7,950 | $5,600 | +11% |
Across 300 US metros, Hickory comes in at #240 from the top. The priciest is Kahului, HI at $8,150; the cheapest is McAllen, TX at $4,550 (midpoints, 400 sq ft). Statewide, Hickory is 2% below the North Carolina figure.
Other North Carolina metros
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | 1,358,370 jobs | $3,000 – $7,350 | $5,200 | +3% |
| Raleigh, NC | 743,120 jobs | $3,000 – $7,300 | $5,150 | +3% |
| Greensboro, NC | 365,410 jobs | $2,950 – $7,100 | $5,000 | level |
| Durham, NC | 344,020 jobs | $3,000 – $7,200 | $5,100 | +1% |
| Winston, NC | 271,980 jobs | $2,950 – $7,050 | $5,000 | −1% |
| Wilmington, NC | 191,280 jobs | $2,950 – $7,150 | $5,050 | +1% |
Cities with a workforce like Hickory's
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Hickory against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brownsville, TX | 157,450 jobs | $2,850 – $6,850 | $4,850 | −4% |
| Roanoke, VA | 153,980 jobs | $3,000 – $7,250 | $5,100 | +2% |
| Eugene, OR | 157,710 jobs | $3,400 – $8,350 | $5,900 | +17% |
| Gainesville, FL | 152,670 jobs | $2,950 – $7,150 | $5,050 | level |
Pick a size, pick a tier: stamped concrete pricing in Hickory
Three bands are cut from the same cited range and localized for Hickory 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.
Basic
$2,950 to $4,600
Basic pattern, one integral color
Standard
$4,200 to $5,850
Two-tone color release and a border
Premium
$5,450 to $7,100
Multi-color, hand-detailed, sealed to a high finish
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x20 patio (200 sq ft) | $1,500 – $2,400 | $2,150 – $3,050 | $2,850 – $3,700 |
| 20x20 patio (400 sq ft) | $2,950 – $4,600 | $4,200 – $5,850 | $5,450 – $7,100 |
| 2-car driveway (600 sq ft) | $4,400 – $6,850 | $6,250 – $8,700 | $8,050 – $10,500 |
Stamped concrete: what moves the price in Hickory
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.
Hickory labor market for stamped concrete
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 Hickory is 0.83 times the national level.
For cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051, weighted 60%) the local median is $21.43 an hour, which is 22% below the national $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $17.02 and $23.18 an hour. BLS counts 70 of them working in the area, 4.5 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 13.3), so the local bench is thinner than average.
Construction laborers (47-2061), 30% of the weighting: a median of $21.42 an hour, 5% below the US median of $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.03 and $24.58 an hour. About 800 work in the metro. That is 51.9 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 70.5 nationally, so expect fewer local crews to bid.
For operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073, weighted 10%) the local median is $22.76 an hour, which is 21% below the national $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $19.88 and $27.84 an hour. BLS counts 370 of them working in the area, 24.0 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 30.7), 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 ($23.18 an hour) instead of the median, the labor line grows by about $100. At the 25th percentile ($17.02) it shrinks by about $260. The total moves by 2.1% or 5.2%, so wages alone rarely explain a quote that is far outside our range.
For context on the local economy, BLS counts 154,090 jobs in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area. That makes it the 152nd largest of the 300 metros we cover, with 0.10% of US employment.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051) | 60% | $17.02 | $21.43 | $23.18 | $27.41 | 0.78 | metro |
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 30% | $17.03 | $21.42 | $24.58 | $22.66 | 0.95 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 10% | $19.88 | $22.76 | $27.84 | $28.78 | 0.79 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.83 | |||||
Climate in Hickory: timing your stamped concrete job
We use NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for Hickory Faa Ap (5 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 Hickory (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.
Hickory gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year. The wettest months are June, July and August (4.6 inches in August). Inside the workable window, May and October are the driest, at 3.9 and 3.5 inches. The station averages about 33 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.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 3.8 | Cold |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 3.2 | Cold |
| Mar | 61 | 40 | 4.1 | Cold |
| Apr | 70 | 48 | 4.1 | Workable |
| May | 77 | 56 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 4.3 | Workable |
| Aug | 86 | 67 | 4.6 | Workable |
| Sep | 80 | 61 | 3.9 | Workable |
| Oct | 70 | 49 | 3.5 | Workable |
| Nov | 60 | 39 | 3.6 | Cold |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 3.9 | Cold |
Add-ons priced for Hickory
Extras are quoted nationally and then scaled to Hickory by the average of the local wage index (0.83) and goods index (0.97), a factor of 0.90. 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.
| Add-on | Local range |
|---|---|
| Add a vapor barrier | $180 – $360 |
What nearby projects cost in Hickory
Because every project leans on different trades, Hickory's wage level does not move all prices equally. Against the US midpoint, paver patio runs −8% and concrete driveway −13%.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete patio | 300 sq ft | $1,150 – $3,550 | −11% |
| Concrete driveway | 600 sq ft | $3,250 – $8,000 | −13% |
| Paver patio | 300 sq ft | $2,800 – $5,000 | −8% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,200 – $4,750 | −9% |
| Asphalt driveway | 600 sq ft | $2,850 – $6,800 | −8% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,300 – $9,350 | −8% |
Get 3 local quotes
Tell us about the job and we will try to connect you with up to three local contractors for written quotes. It is free and you are under no obligation to hire. Your estimate of $4,200 to $5,850 for Hickory, NC is attached.
Take this estimate with you: PDF report, $9
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Stamped concrete in Hickory: your questions
+How much does it cost to pour stamped concrete in Hickory?
For 400 sq ft, expect $2,950 to $7,100 in the Hickory area. A standard-spec job lands at $4,200 to $5,850. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per sq ft for stamped concrete in Hickory?
About $7.25 to $17 per sq ft for materials and labor, plus $45 to $310 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $8 to $19.
+Is stamped concrete cheaper in Hickory or Johnson City?
Johnson City is 60 miles away. The midpoint for 400 sq ft there is $5,050, which is 1% more than Hickory ($5,050). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Hickory?
About 45% at the midpoint, or $2,250 out of $5,050. Materials are 52% and permits 4%. Nationally, labor is 48%.
+What would 20x20 patio (400 sq ft) cost in Hickory?
$2,950 to $7,100. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does stamped concrete need a permit in Hickory?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $45 to $310 for fees in the Hickory area (our national range of $50 to $350 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Hickory expensive for stamped concrete compared with the rest of North Carolina?
Hickory is 2% below the North Carolina statewide estimate ($5,100 at the midpoint). We cover 11 metros in North Carolina; see the state page to compare them.
+What do cement masons and concrete finishers earn in Hickory?
The BLS median is $21.43 an hour in the Hickory area, compared with $27.41 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.02 to $23.18.
+What do basic and premium stamped concrete work cost in Hickory?
For 400 sq ft, basic work runs $2,950 to $4,600 and premium work $5,450 to $7,100. Basic means: basic pattern, one integral color. Premium means: multi-color, hand-detailed, sealed to a high finish.
+When is the best time to pour stamped concrete in Hickory?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are April through October. May and October are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
+What does "add a vapor barrier" add in Hickory?
$180 to $360 for 400 sq ft, from a national range scaled by the local wage and goods indexes.
Stamped concrete near Hickory
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does Stamped Concrete Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- SimplyWise: Concrete Estimate Template: Free PDF + Excel (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = SimplyWise's 200 sq ft stamped-patio line ($900-$1,800), divided by 200 sq ft.