How much does a concrete finisher make per hour in Minneapolis?

The median Minneapolis cement mason or concrete finisher is paid $34.98 per hour, according to the 2025 BLS OEWS survey. The middle half of workers earn between $30.37 (25th percentile) and $42.72 (75th percentile), and the mean is $35.56. That is what the worker is paid. It is not what a homeowner is billed, which under a 2x to 3x assumption works out to roughly $70 to $105 per worker-hour at the median.

How much does a concrete contractor charge per hour in Minneapolis?

BLS does not measure billing rates, so this is arithmetic on a wage. Multiply the $34.98 median wage by an assumed 2.0 to 3.0 burden factor and you get $69.96 to $104.94 per worker-hour. At 2.5 the figure is $87.45. A quote that implies far more than 3x the wage, about $105 per worker-hour at the median, needs an explanation from the contractor.

How much does a 400 sq ft concrete patio cost in Minneapolis?

Using the median wage of $34.98, an assumed 24 worker-hours, a $6 per sq ft materials allowance and a 2.0 to 3.0 burden factor, the build-up is $4,079 to $4,919, with $4,499 at 2.5x. The hours and materials figures are assumptions, not BLS data. Forms, reinforcement, a thicker pour, disposal of old concrete or a difficult site will move the number. Change the assumptions in the tables to match your job.

Is my concrete quote fair if it is $12 per sq ft?

On these assumptions, $12 per sq ft sits between the 2.5x build-up ($11.25 per sq ft) and the 3.0x build-up ($12.30 per sq ft) for median Minneapolis wages. So it is inside the range, near the upper end. Ask how many worker-hours the quote assumes. If the answer is well above 6 worker-hours per 100 sq ft for a plain slab, find out why before you sign.

Are concrete prices going up in 2026?

The BLS Producer Price Index for concrete products rose 4.2% over twelve months, from 393.084 to 409.479 (index points, 1982 = 100) by August 2026. The index for hydraulic cement fell 1.2%, from 360.142 to 355.665. So finished concrete products cost more while the cement ingredient cost slightly less. Index points are not dollars, so they show direction only.

Concrete Finisher Hourly Rates in Minneapolis

Minneapolis cement masons and concrete finishers are paid a median $34.98 per hour, per BLS. Billed at 2 to 3 times wage, that is about $70 to $105 per worker-hour. On an assumed 6 worker-hours per 100 sq ft and $6 per sq ft in materials, a 400 sq ft slab comes to roughly $4,080 to $4,920. The assumptions are listed below so you can change them.

Key points

The median Minneapolis concrete finisher is paid $34.98 per hour, which is 27.6% ($7.57) above the US median of $27.41.
Applying an assumed 2.0 to 3.0 overhead multiplier turns the $34.98 wage into $69.96 to $104.94 per billed worker-hour.
On the stated assumptions, a 400 sq ft slab builds up to $4,079 to $4,919, or $10.20 to $12.30 per sq ft.
Concrete products prices rose 4.2% over twelve months to August 2026, while hydraulic cement fell 1.2%.
If a labor line implies more than about 3 times the median wage, ask the contractor to explain the hours.

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What does BLS say a Minneapolis concrete finisher is paid?

BLS reports a 2025 median of $34.98 per hour for Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (SOC 47-2051) in the Minneapolis area, with 1,880 people employed, in the BLS OEWS Minneapolis series. These are wages paid to workers. They are not prices billed to a customer.

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Area	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile	Mean	Employed
United States	$22.60	$27.41	$32.15	$28.87	206,170
Minnesota statewide	$28.81	$32.13	$38.21	$34.00	3,070
Minneapolis, MN	$30.37	$34.98	$42.72	$35.56	1,880

The same source lists first-line supervisors of construction trades in Minneapolis at a median $49.66 per hour. That is the pay of the person running a crew, which matters if a quote includes a foreman.

How much more do Minneapolis finishers earn than the national average?

Minneapolis finishers earn more than the national figure at every point in the distribution, by $6.69 to $10.57 per hour.

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Measure	US	Minneapolis	Gap in dollars	Gap in percent
25th percentile	$22.60	$30.37	$7.77	34.4%
Median	$27.41	$34.98	$7.57	27.6%
Mean	$28.87	$35.56	$6.69	23.2%
75th percentile	$32.15	$42.72	$10.57	32.9%

Against the Minnesota statewide median of $32.13, the Minneapolis median is $2.85 higher, or 8.9%. The metro premium is partly a statewide effect and partly a city effect.

The gap is widest at the top. A Minneapolis 75th percentile finisher earns $42.72, which is $7.74 above the US median of $27.41 at its 75th percentile… more usefully, it is $10.57 above the national 75th percentile of $32.15. If your job needs a skilled decorative or structural finisher, the top of the local range is the relevant one, not the median.

Why is the billed rate 2 to 3 times the wage?

A wage is one line of what a contractor pays to put a worker on your driveway. The customer’s price also has to cover payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, liability insurance, trucks, fuel, tools, forms, office time, a warranty reserve and profit.

This article uses a multiplier of 2.0 to 3.0 applied to the wage. That range is a working assumption for small residential contractors. It is not a measured figure, and BLS does not publish one. The table below shows what it does to each wage point.

Wage point	Wage	Billed at 2.0x	Billed at 2.5x	Billed at 3.0x
US median	$27.41	$54.82	$68.53	$82.23
Minneapolis 25th percentile	$30.37	$60.74	$75.93	$91.11
Minneapolis median	$34.98	$69.96	$87.45	$104.94
Minneapolis mean	$35.56	$71.12	$88.90	$106.68
Minneapolis 75th percentile	$42.72	$85.44	$106.80	$128.16
Minneapolis supervisor median	$49.66	$99.32	$124.15	$148.98

Read across: a crew paid the Minneapolis median is billed at roughly $70 to $105 per worker-hour, and a crew at the 75th percentile at roughly $85 to $128.

What assumptions drive the cost build-up?

The build-up below depends on four inputs. Only the wage comes from BLS. The other three are assumptions you can argue with.

Input	Value used	Source
Hourly wage	$34.98 (Minneapolis median)	BLS OEWS
Burden and overhead multiplier	2.0, 2.5 and 3.0	Assumption
Labor per 100 sq ft	6 worker-hours (forming, pour, screed, float, finish, cleanup)	Assumption
Materials allowance	$6.00 per sq ft (4 in slab, base, basic reinforcement, forms)	Assumption

The job is a plain 4 in flat slab on good access, poured once. Nothing here is a measured or quoted price.

How much does a slab cost at each size?

The cost is linear in area under these assumptions, so find your size in the table. The formula is: worker-hours × $34.98 × multiplier + sq ft × $6.00.

Slab size	Worker-hours	Materials	Total at 2.0x	Total at 2.5x	Total at 3.0x
100 sq ft	6	$600	$1,020	$1,125	$1,230
200 sq ft	12	$1,200	$2,040	$2,249	$2,459
400 sq ft	24	$2,400	$4,079	$4,499	$4,919
600 sq ft	36	$3,600	$6,119	$6,748	$7,378
800 sq ft	48	$4,800	$8,158	$8,998	$9,837
1,000 sq ft	60	$6,000	$10,198	$11,247	$12,296

Per square foot, that is $10.20 at 2.0x, $11.25 at 2.5x and $12.30 at 3.0x. Small jobs usually cost more per sq ft in practice because a crew has a minimum mobilization time. This table does not show that effect.

Worked line by line: 400 sq ft at 2.5x

Worker-hours: 400 ÷ 100 × 6 = 24
Wage cost: 24 × $34.98 = $839.52
Burden at 2.5x: $839.52 × 2.5 = $2,098.80
Materials: 400 × $6.00 = $2,400.00
Total: $2,098.80 + $2,400.00 = $4,498.80

How do wage level and multiplier change a 400 sq ft job?

Moving from the US median wage to the Minneapolis 75th percentile and from 2.0x to 3.0x shifts the total by about $1,760, from $3,716 to $5,476. The table holds the job at 400 sq ft, 24 worker-hours and $2,400 in materials.

Wage basis	Hourly wage	Total at 2.0x	Total at 2.5x	Total at 3.0x
US median	$27.41	$3,716	$4,045	$4,374
Minneapolis 25th percentile	$30.37	$3,858	$4,222	$4,587
Minnesota median	$32.13	$3,942	$4,328	$4,713
Minneapolis median	$34.98	$4,079	$4,499	$4,919
Minneapolis 75th percentile	$42.72	$4,451	$4,963	$5,476

Two readings follow. Using the national wage would understate a Minneapolis job by $454 at 2.5x ($4,499 versus $4,045). And the multiplier moves the answer about as much as the choice of wage percentile does, which is why you should ask how a contractor builds overhead.

What happened to concrete material prices this year?

Concrete products prices rose 4.2% over twelve months, while hydraulic cement prices fell 1.2%, according to the BLS Producer Price Index. These are index levels (1982 = 100). They are index points, not dollars.

Series	August 2025	August 2026	Change in points	Change in percent
Concrete products (WPU133)	393.084	409.479	+16.395	+4.2%
Cement, hydraulic (WPU1322)	360.142	355.665	-4.477	-1.2%

If your own materials allowance moved in step with the concrete products index, a $2,400 allowance for 400 sq ft would become about $2,500.80, an increase of roughly $100.80. That is an illustration of the percentage applied to an assumption. It is not a measured price.

Reverse calculation: what multiplier is inside the quote you received?

Suppose a quote gives a labor line for 24 worker-hours. Dividing by the median wage cost ($24 × $34.98 = $839.52) shows the multiplier the contractor is using.

Labor line in quote	Implied multiplier over median wage	Reading
$1,500	1.79x	Below the working range; check scope and whether a crew was actually scheduled
$2,000	2.38x	Inside the range
$2,500	2.98x	Top of the range
$3,000	3.57x	Above the range; ask for the hours
$3,500	4.17x	Well above; hours or scope probably differ from 24

A high multiplier is not proof of padding. A crew that uses a supervisor at $49.66, a finisher above the median, or fewer than 24 worker-hours of actual work will show a different number. The reverse check tells you which question to ask, not the answer.

What are the common misconceptions about concrete labor rates?

“The hourly wage is what I pay per hour.” At the median, the wage is $34.98 and the billed worker-hour is $69.96 to $104.94 under the 2x to 3x assumption. Reading the BLS wage as a price would put a 400 sq ft job’s labor at $839.52 instead of $1,679.04 to $2,518.56.

“Cement is getting cheaper, so concrete work should too.” Hydraulic cement fell 1.2% over twelve months, but concrete products rose 4.2%. Cement is one ingredient. The finished product index, which is closer to what a pour uses, moved the other way.

“Minneapolis costs about the same as the national average.” The median Minneapolis finisher earns 27.6% more than the US median. On a 400 sq ft job at 2.5x, that is $4,499 versus $4,045 in the table above.

When is this estimate wrong?

The estimate is wrong whenever the job is not a plain flat slab with easy access. The build-up above assumes 6 worker-hours per 100 sq ft and $6 per sq ft, and either number can be far off.

Demolition and removal. Breaking out old concrete and hauling it away adds labor and disposal fees not counted here.
Thickness and reinforcement. A 6 in pour, rebar instead of light mesh, or a thickened edge changes both materials and hours.
Access. If a truck cannot reach the site and the concrete must be wheeled or pumped, labor and equipment rise.
Finish. Stamped, stained, exposed-aggregate or broom finishes need skill and time beyond a plain float finish, and push you toward the 75th percentile wage of $42.72.
Site conditions. Grading, drainage, poor soil or steep slopes add hours before any concrete is placed.
Weather and season. Cold-weather pours need protection or scheduling changes, and a short local season can tighten availability.
Minimum charges. Very small jobs often carry a minimum that exceeds the per sq ft arithmetic.

What can this calculation not see?

This calculation starts from wages and assumptions, so it cannot see anything that a site visit would reveal.

Permits. Some municipalities require a permit for slabs, driveway aprons or work in the right-of-way. Fees vary and are not in any figure here.
Code upgrades. Footing depth, frost protection, drainage slope and setback rules can change the scope. Ask your city building department.
Disposal. Hauling and dump fees for removed concrete are not in the labor or materials lines.
Access and difficulty. Tight backyards, stairs, fences and overhead obstacles add hours. The equivalent for roofing is pitch. For concrete it is distance from the truck to the forms.
Season. Minnesota winters restrict outdoor pours, which affects both price and schedule.
Emergency call-out premiums. Urgent repairs or weekend work can carry an overtime premium that these weekday wage figures do not include.
Licensing and insurance. These are part of the overhead multiplier, but their actual cost differs between contractors.

How do I read a real quote against these numbers?

Compare the quote to the build-up by asking for the four lines that make it up. A legitimate quote should itemize:

Labor: worker-hours and crew size, or a labor total you can divide.
Materials: concrete volume, reinforcement, base material and forms.
Demolition and disposal: separate from the new pour.
Permits and site prep: who pulls them and who pays.
Finish and sealing: what finish is included.

The single question that exposes a padded bid is: “How many worker-hours is the labor line based on?” Divide the labor total by that number. If the result is well above $105 per worker-hour at the Minneapolis median wage, or the hours are far above about 6 per 100 sq ft for a plain slab, the contractor has to explain what the extra time is.

What should I check before signing?

The quote states the slab area, thickness, reinforcement and finish in writing.
Labor, materials, demolition, disposal and permits appear as separate lines.
The contractor says how many worker-hours and how many people are on the crew.
The contractor carries liability insurance and, if they have employees, workers’ compensation. Ask for proof.
The permit question is answered: who applies, who pays, and whether the city requires an inspection.
The payment schedule does not put most of the money up front.
Your own division of the labor line by worker-hours falls within roughly $70 to $105 at the Minneapolis median wage, or you have a reason it does not.

For background on the occupation, including duties and entry requirements, see the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile. This site has not inspected any property, surveyed any contractor or collected any quote. Every figure above is either a BLS number or arithmetic you can check.