Concrete Finishers in the Cape Girardeau area earn a median of $58,180 a year, 2% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #155 of 334 metros for concrete finisher salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in St. Louis and Evansville, but less in Paducah.
It's one of 8 Missouri metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide concrete finisher pay.
Concrete Finisher pay in Cape Girardeau at a glance
- Concrete finishers in the Cape Girardeau, MO metro earn a median $58,180 a year ($27.97 an hour), #155 of 334 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $42,680 and $74,920.
- After local prices, that median buys what $67,590 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $833 a month, 17% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for concrete finishers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.7%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+1.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 96 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $82,771 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $73/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Cape Girardeau scorecard for concrete finishers Our calculation
Grades compare Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau area went from $48,700 in 2022 to $58,180 in 2025, up 19.5%. Prices rose 10% over the same period, so after inflation that's +8.6% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2022–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 Cape Girardeau Our calculation
Prices in the Cape Girardeau area run 14% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $67,590 would in a typical place, ranking #54 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 Cape Girardeau 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 Missouri Official source
Missouri licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
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 MO metros for concrete finishers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. LouisMISSOURI · MO | $64,670 | $68,011 | 2,550 |
| Kansas CityMISSOURI · MO | $62,250 | $67,266 | 2,950 |
| ColumbiaMISSOURI · MO | $59,090 | $66,068 | 160 |
| SpringfieldMISSOURI · MO | $58,510 | $66,050 | 540 |
| St. JosephMISSOURI · MO | $58,480 | $67,699 | 70 |
| Jefferson CityMISSOURI · MO | $58,380 | $66,360 | 180 |
| Cape GirardeauMISSOURI · MO | $58,180 | $67,590 | 70 |
| JoplinMISSOURI · MO | $56,370 | $65,762 | 100 |
See every metro in Missouri.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Cape Girardeau area's unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just concrete finishers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.6% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Cape Girardeau area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 80% drive alone, 1% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Cape Girardeau area's population grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025 (97,539 → 99,215), ranking #225 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +2,278) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Cape Girardeau
The Cape Girardeau area has about 44,337 homes. 54% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 13% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 74% of households own their home, and the median home value is $220,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Cape Girardeau are down 44% from 2021 to 2025 (177 → 99).
In 2025 the Cape Girardeau area approved permits for 99 new homes (99 single-family), or 1.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #365 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 96 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $82,771 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Cape Girardeau compares among the best cities to start a concrete finisher business.
They compete with 43 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 333 workers in total). 58% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Cape Girardeau Government data
In an average year, Cape Girardeau has 47 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 90 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 75 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 88°F and winter nights 28°F. That matters for concrete finishers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Cape Girardeau Muni Airport, MO 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 $58,180 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 Cape Girardeau with another city →
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ToolCape Girardeau budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau against every other metro for concrete finishers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.