Paving & Walls
Paver Patio Cost Calculator
Updated · Source: BLS wage data
Enter the patio size in square feet, the price you were quoted per square foot for pavers and for base and sand, and your state. You get a planning range built from your prices and labor hours at local wage rates.
Worked example
The example uses a sample price typed into the price field, only to show the math. Use the price your supplier quotes you.
- Materials: 220 sq ft of pavers (with 10% waste) x $4.00 (the price entered) = $880.
- Labor: 24 hours x $19.53 an hour (construction laborers, median in Texas) = $469.
Where your numbers come in
We do not guess what pavers cost, because concrete pavers, clay brick and natural stone sit far apart and prices shift by region. Price a paver you like at a local yard, convert it to a price per square foot, and enter it. Do the same for gravel base and bedding sand.
The calculator adds 10% to the paver area for cuts. That is why a 200 sq ft patio is priced as 220 sq ft of pavers.
How labor is figured
Labor is our estimate of hours for excavation, base compaction, screeding, laying, cutting and sweeping in joint sand. We multiply those hours by the median hourly wage for construction laborers in your state from the BLS May 2025 wage survey. In Texas that is $19.53 an hour, so the 24 hour example comes to $469.
The range uses the 25th and 75th percentile wages, $424 to $542 in the example. Wages are what workers earn, not the rate a company bills. A contractor's price also covers overhead, equipment, insurance and profit, so expect a quote to land above this line.
What this estimate leaves out
Add any of these that apply to your yard before you treat the total as a budget.
- Removing old concrete, sod or a deck, and hauling the spoils away
- Delivery charges for pallets and bulk stone
- Equipment rental: plate compactor, wet saw, sod cutter
- Edge restraint, joint sand or polymeric sand, and sealer
- Permits, if your area requires one, and grading or drainage work
Get the quantities right first
A cost estimate is only as good as the area behind it. Count the pieces with the paver calculator and size the gravel and sand with the base and sand calculator, then bring those numbers to the yard when you ask for a price.
For a poured alternative, the concrete patio cost calculator uses the same method, so the two totals compare fairly. Our method page explains the labor hours.
Construction laborers: hourly wages by state
Median hourly wage in the highest and lowest paying states, with the 25th and 75th percentile. U.S. median: $22.66 an hour (1,096,780 workers).
| State | 25th pct. | Median | 75th pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $25.13 | $37.07 | $42.19 |
| New Jersey | $22.46 | $30.80 | $45.44 |
| Massachusetts | $25.16 | $30.48 | $42.46 |
| Illinois | $22.14 | $29.18 | $45.79 |
| California | $23.15 | $28.98 | $37.75 |
| Minnesota | $23.28 | $28.97 | $38.32 |
| Connecticut | $22.92 | $28.03 | $34.98 |
| Alaska | $22.30 | $27.91 | $33.63 |
| New Mexico | $17.07 | $18.46 | $22.26 |
| Louisiana | $16.59 | $18.38 | $22.74 |
| Mississippi | $16.25 | $18.13 | $22.01 |
| Arkansas | $16.63 | $18.09 | $21.31 |
| Alabama | $14.41 | $17.74 | $21.75 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2061. Wages paid to workers, not what a company charges you: contractor rates include overhead, insurance and profit.
Questions
Why is my contractor's quote higher than this estimate?
The labor line uses the wage a worker earns. A company bills more to cover overhead, tools, insurance, travel and profit, and it may include items listed above that we leave out.
Does the patio size change the labor hours?
Yes. Our hour estimate grows with the area you enter. Complex shapes, curves and herringbone patterns take longer than the estimate assumes.
Is the wage for my state current?
It comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, the latest release we use. See our sources page for details.
How this works: formulas and typical values are listed on our method page; every data source and its license is on sources.
Labor: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
Last reviewed November 2026.
Estimates for planning only. Get written quotes from local contractors before you decide.