Concrete Finishers in the Columbus area earn a median of $64,910 a year, 13% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #44 of 334 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Lima and Wheeling, but less in Mansfield.
Columbus scorecard for concrete finishers Our calculation
Grades compare Columbus 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).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Columbus Our calculation
Prices in the Columbus area run 5% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $67,991 would in a typical place, ranking #49 of 332 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
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.
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 OH metros for concrete finishers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| LimaOHIO · OH | $81,270 | $90,633 | 90 |
| ClevelandOHIO · OH | $66,080 | $70,356 | 900 |
| ColumbusOHIO · OH | $64,910 | $67,991 | 1,000 |
| AkronOHIO · OH | $63,850 | $68,384 | 390 |
| SanduskyOHIO · OH | $63,310 | $70,911 | 110 |
| CincinnatiOHIO · OH | $62,990 | $66,048 | 1,410 |
| DaytonOHIO · OH | $62,580 | $67,512 | 260 |
| CantonOHIO · OH | $62,570 | $69,984 | 300 |
| ToledoOHIO · OH | $62,200 | $68,012 | 330 |
| YoungstownOHIO · OH | $61,060 | $69,867 | 200 |
See every metro in Ohio.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Columbus area's unemployment rate was 4.3% in 2025 (all workers, not just concrete finishers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Columbus area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 71% drive alone, 1% take transit and 17% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Columbus are up 31% from 2021 to 2025 (12,062 → 15,757).
In 2025 the Columbus area approved permits for 15,757 new homes (5,549 single-family), or 7.2 per 1,000 residents, ranking #77 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 2,204 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $110,188 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 544 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 4,615 workers in total). 63% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $64,910 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 Columbus with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.