Concrete Finishers in the Columbia area earn a median of $50,680 a year, 11% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #210 of 334 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Charleston, but less in Augusta.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for concrete finishers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and also below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (4.3%) and the population is growing faster than most (+6.0% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 723 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $97,212 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $67/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Columbia scorecard for concrete finishers Our calculation
Grades compare Columbia 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 Columbia area went from $41,690 in 2020 to $50,680 in 2025, up 21.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -3.0% — a real pay cut.
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 Columbia Our calculation
Prices in the Columbia area run 6% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $54,109 would in a typical place, ranking #212 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.
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 South Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in South Carolina is the South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board. It can point you to the right license for concrete finishers.
Official South Carolina 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 SC metros for concrete finishers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlestonSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $52,560 | $52,059 | 300 |
| ColumbiaSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $50,680 | $54,109 | 350 |
| GreenvilleSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $50,510 | $54,160 | 470 |
| Hilton Head IslandSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $49,420 | $50,420 | 90 |
| SpartanburgSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $48,130 | $52,860 | 110 |
| FlorenceSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $46,530 | $53,622 | 110 |
| Myrtle BeachSOUTH CAROLINA · SC | $45,810 | $48,920 | 110 |
See every metro in South Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Columbia 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 3.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Columbia area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 13% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 73% drive alone, 0% take transit and 13% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Columbia area's population grew 6.0% from 2020 to 2025 (830,251 → 879,918), ranking #78 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +47,325) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Columbia
The Columbia area has about 389,137 homes. 35% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 19% were built in 2010 or later. 69% of households own their home, and the median home value is $270,400.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Columbia are down 12% from 2021 to 2025 (6,881 → 6,070).
In 2025 the Columbia area approved permits for 6,070 new homes (4,969 single-family), or 7.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #78 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 723 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $97,212 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 199 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 1,574 workers in total). 60% 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 $50,680 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Columbia with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- 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.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, 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.