How much do concrete finishers make in 2026?
Concrete finishers are counted in the BLS cement masons and concrete finishers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2051 national median as $57,020 a year ($27.41 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $39,190 and the top 10% at $85,480. This is a trade where the work window cannot be moved: concrete sets on its own schedule, so finishers start before dawn, work through heat and finish when the slab is ready rather than when the shift ends. Pay separates by what you can guarantee. General flatwork — slabs, walks, drives, curbs — sits around the median. Above it sit power-troweled industrial floors held to flatness and levelness numbers that are measured and reported, polished concrete and decorative finishes including stamped and coloured work, and superflat warehouse floors for racking systems where tolerance failure means the racking will not install. Foremen who plan pours, manage crews across multiple placements and answer for the finish sit at the top. Union commercial and heavy civil work adds pension and annuity value on top of scale. Employment is projected to grow 1.8% through 2034 with roughly 14,300 openings a year. → Full concrete finisher career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $57,020 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Concrete Finishers earn a national median $57,020/yr ($27.41/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2051); the P10 to P90 range is $39,190 to $85,480.
- Cement masons and concrete finishers have a dedicated BLS series: a $57,020 median with a $39,190 to $85,480 band, and the internal ladder is about measurable tolerance.
- Power-troweled industrial floors, superflat warehouse slabs, polished concrete and decorative finishes are the specialisms above general flatwork.
- The work window is set by the concrete, not the clock: pre-dawn starts, heat exposure and finishing until the slab is right are structural features of the trade.
US Concrete Finisher Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do concrete finishers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2051; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2051, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a concrete finisher earn at each career stage?
Concrete finishing pay follows the tolerance and finish you can deliver reliably. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2051.
By State
Which states pay concrete finishers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Concrete work is climate and volume driven: warm regions offer longer pour seasons and more annual hours, while cold-weather states compress earnings into fewer months and rely more heavily on interior and heated work in winter.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($65,570), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay concrete finishers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro and industrial-corridor work pays best because that is where large power-troweled floors, distribution centres and polished commercial interiors are, and those jobs are specified by tolerance rather than by price alone.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a concrete finisher’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does concrete finisher pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Concrete Finishers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify concrete finisher wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a concrete finisher actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Concrete Finisher Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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