Concrete Finishers in the El Centro area earn a median of $52,760 a year, 8% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #191 of 334 metros for concrete finisher salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Diego and Riverside, but less in Yuma.
It's one of 24 California metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide concrete finisher pay.
Concrete Finisher pay in El Centro at a glance
- Concrete finishers in the El Centro, CA metro earn a median $52,760 a year ($25.37 an hour), #191 of 334 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $48,120 and $92,520.
- After local prices, that median buys what $55,435 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,030 a month, 23% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among concrete finishers in El Centro.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for concrete finishers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and also about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (18.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 64 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $25,625 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $68/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
El Centro scorecard for concrete finishers Our calculation
Grades compare El Centro with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($57,245).
Pay over time
The median pay for concrete finishers in the El Centro area went from $37,720 in 2020 to $52,760 in 2025, up 39.9%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +11.6% — a real raise. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in El Centro Our calculation
Prices in El Centro run 5% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $55,435 would in a typical place, ranking #197 of 332 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a El Centro budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What concrete finishers do
Smooth and finish surfaces of poured concrete, such as floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs using a variety of hand and power tools. Align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut expansion joints.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Check the forms that hold the concrete to see that they are properly constructed.
- Set the forms that hold concrete to the desired pitch and depth, and align them.
- Spread, level, and smooth concrete, using rake, shovel, hand or power trowel, hand or power screed, and float.
- Monitor how the wind, heat, or cold affect the curing of the concrete throughout the entire process.
- Mold expansion joints and edges, using edging tools, jointers, and straightedge.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, concrete finisher jobs are projected to grow 1.6% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 13,600 openings a year. About 2% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often concrete finishers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for concrete finishers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for concrete finishers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, concrete finishers have 25 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 71% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for concrete finishers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,500 | $73,481 | 350 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,970 | $65,711 | 2,420 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,520 | $68,392 | 1,500 |
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $74,000 | $65,746 | 250 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $68,050 | $62,407 | 200 |
| Yuba CityCALIFORNIA · CA | $67,530 | $64,788 | 120 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $66,530 | $59,462 | 2,330 |
| OxnardCALIFORNIA · CA | $64,080 | $57,973 | 580 |
| Los AngelesCALIFORNIA · CA | $63,790 | $56,170 | 7,810 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $61,980 | $57,504 | 570 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The El Centro area's unemployment rate was 18.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just concrete finishers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 18.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the El Centro area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The El Centro area's population grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025 (179,532 → 181,411), ranking #249 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -2,745).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in El Centro
The El Centro area has about 59,001 homes. 39% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. 60% of households own their home, and the median home value is $352,800.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in El Centro are down 56% from 2021 to 2025 (555 → 242).
In 2025 the El Centro area approved permits for 242 new homes (224 single-family), or 1.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #342 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 64 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $25,625 a year in revenue before expenses. See how El Centro compares among the best cities to start a concrete finisher business.
They compete with 19 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 170 workers in total). 53% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The El Centro area has 15 active C-8 Concrete contractor licenses, about 0.8 per 10,000 residents (#25 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in El Centro Government data
In an average year, El Centro has 180 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 117 at 100°F or more, 1 night below freezing (typical 90) and 6 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 106°F and winter nights 44°F. That matters for concrete finishers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, El Centro 2 Ssw, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $52,760 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get concrete finisher pricing & estimate templates →Compare El Centro with another city →
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ToolEl Centro budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the El Centro metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank El Centro against every other metro for concrete finishers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.