How to Increase Your Concrete Finisher Salary: Certifications, Skills and Career Moves
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Cement masons and concrete finishers earned a median of $57,020 a year, or $27.41 an hour, in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half of the trade earned between $47,010 and $66,870, and the top 10 percent earned more than $85,480. Job postings run lower, with ZipRecruiter listing concrete finisher pay from about $27,500 to $71,000 a year in August 2026, while foremen and other construction trade supervisors earned a median of $79,920.
The distance between the bottom and the top of that range is not explained by time on the job alone. Certifications such as the American Concrete Institute (ACI) flatwork credentials, specialized finishing skills, the type of work you pour, the state you work in, and a move into supervision or estimating each change the number, though the evidence behind each lever is stronger for some than others.
A Step by Step Roadmap to a Higher Salary
This timeline is an illustration of how the levers stack, not a BLS statistic, and your pace depends on your market and the hours you log.
Timeline | Action | Goal |
|---|---|---|
Year 0 to 1 | Join an apprenticeship or learn on the job; earn an OSHA 10-hour card; log finishing hours | Reach 1,500 verified hours |
Year 1 to 2 | Take the ACI Flatwork Associate exam, then the Finisher performance exam | ACI credential on your resume |
Year 2 to 4 | Specialize in decorative work, polishing, or large slab placements; log hours toward 4,500 | Advanced Finisher eligibility |
Year 4 to 7 | Lead crews; learn layout and estimating | Foreman responsibilities |
Year 7 and beyond | Move toward superintendent, estimator, or business owner | Superintendent, estimator, or owner role |
How to Negotiate a Raise or a Better Offer
What Data to Bring
Bring the BLS median for your state and, where available, your metro, since a national figure means little in Hawaii or Mississippi. Add current posted rates for your title in your area, a list of your certifications, and your verified finishing hours. Specific results, such as F-numbers hit or crews you have led, carry more weight than general claims.
When to Ask
Timing matters as much as the number. A request lands better when you can point to something that changed since your last raise.
After a Certification, a Major Project, or Taking on a Lead Role
Ask soon after you pass an ACI exam, finish a demanding placement without callbacks, or start running a crew. At that point you are asking to be paid for work you are already doing, which is an easier conversation than asking to be paid for work you hope to do.
What to Ask For Beyond Hourly Pay
Base rate is only part of the offer. Ask about overtime rules, per diem for travel jobs, tool and boot allowances, payment for training and ACI exam fees, health coverage, and retirement contributions, including pension contributions on union jobs.
Job Outlook and Pay Trends for 2027 and Beyond
Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
Cement masons and concrete finishers employed (May 2025) | 206,170 |
Median pay, May 2019 to May 2025 | $44,810 to $57,020 (+27.2%; consumer prices +25.5%) |
Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | 2% (slower than average), about 13,600 openings a year |
Typical entry education | No formal educational credential in BLS projections; the BLS masonry profile lists a high school diploma |
After inflation, the typical finisher’s pay was roughly flat between 2019 and 2025, based on the BLS Consumer Price Index.
What Is Driving Demand
BLS expects most openings for masonry workers to come from the need to replace workers who move to other occupations or leave the labor force, such as to retire, rather than from growth. For finishers, that means openings appear even in a slow-growth trade, including lead and foreman roles that open when experienced workers retire.
Automation, Laser Screeds, and Technology
Laser screeds, ride-on trowels, and machine-controlled grading have changed how large slabs get placed, but they still need skilled operators and finishers for edges, joints, and detail work. The practical effect is that finishers who can run the equipment are qualified for more of the work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a concrete finisher make a year?
The median concrete finisher salary was $57,020 a year in May 2025, according to BLS data for cement masons and concrete finishers. The middle half earned between $47,010 and $66,870, and the top 10 percent earned more than $85,480.
How much does a concrete finisher make per hour?
The BLS hourly median was $27.41 in May 2025. Job postings average $26.08 an hour on Indeed and $24.19 on ZipRecruiter, with posted rates ranging from about $18 to $38 an hour.
How can I increase my concrete finisher salary?
The main levers are certification, specialized skills such as decorative work or F-number floors, moving to higher-paying work types or states, and stepping into lead, foreman, or estimating roles. Each one changes which jobs you qualify for.
Is ACI certification worth it for concrete finishers?
ACI certification is a recognized way to prove finishing skill, and ACI promotes the credential to the people who write project specifications. No federal source publishes a pay premium for it, so its value shows up in the jobs it qualifies you for and in raise negotiations.
What are the ACI concrete flatwork certification levels?
ACI offers Concrete Flatwork Associate, Concrete Flatwork Finisher, and Advanced Concrete Flatwork Finisher, plus a separate Decorative Concrete Flatwork Finisher certification that requires Advanced Finisher status first.
How many hours do you need for ACI Finisher certification?
The Finisher level requires 1,500 hours of direct finishing experience and a performance exam. The Advanced Finisher level requires a written exam plus either 4,500 hours or 1,500 hours and a performance exam.
How much does ACI certification cost?
ACI exams are run by local sponsoring groups, which set their own session fees, so cost varies by location. Check the ACI sessions calendar for sessions and fees near you.
Do union concrete finishers make more?
Union pay is set by local agreements between the OPCMIA and contractors, and no federal source publishes union scale for this occupation. Compare the full package, including health and pension contributions, against nonunion offers in the same area.
What is the difference between a concrete finisher and a cement mason?
The two titles overlap, and BLS counts both in one occupation, cement masons and concrete finishers. Cement mason is the more traditional title, while concrete finisher focuses on placing and finishing flatwork.
Which state pays concrete finishers the most?
Hawaii had the highest state median in May 2025 at $95,890, followed by Alaska at $92,960 and Illinois at $78,170, according to BLS.
Which type of concrete work pays the most?
Among the industries that employ large numbers of finishers, local government paid the highest median at $73,470 in May 2025, followed by nonresidential building construction at $61,180. Foundation contractors, the largest employer, paid $56,410.
How much does a concrete foreman make?
BLS does not publish a concrete-specific foreman figure. First-line supervisors across the construction trades earned a median of $79,920 in May 2025, with the top 10 percent above $128,260.
Can concrete finishers make six figures?
Six figures is above the top 10 percent nationally, where the threshold is $85,480. Hawaii and Alaska have state medians above $90,000, and the top quarter of construction trade supervisors earn more than $101,460, but the typical finisher earns well below $100,000.
Is concrete finishing a good career?
It depends on what you want from it. BLS projects 2% growth from 2025 to 2035 with about 13,600 openings a year, and you can start without a degree, but the work is physical and outdoors, and pay growth comes mainly from skills and role changes.
How long does it take to become an advanced concrete finisher?
ACI's Advanced Finisher level requires either 4,500 hours of finishing experience, roughly three years of full-time work, or 1,500 hours plus a passed performance exam, roughly one year. Both routes also require the written exam.
Building a Higher Concrete Finisher Salary Over Time
The $57,020 median is a reference point, not a ceiling. Skill level and job title, ACI certification, the type of work you pour, where you work, and a move into leadership or estimating each shift concrete finisher pay, and the gains add up when several are combined. Because pay has only kept pace with prices since 2019, those moves matter more than waiting for the market. Dreambound lists training programs by trade and location across the United States. Wage figures here come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025 unless a job board is named, and job board figures reflect advertised pay as of August 2026.
