PourGaugeHow much concrete you actually need, and what to mix into it.

How much does a 400 sq ft concrete slab cost in Lake Charles, LA?

A poured concrete slab in Lake Charles, LA
$2,444
400 ft² of slab · typical range $1,504 – $4,136
Typical total$6.11 per ft² of slab$2,444
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$1,504 – $4,136
Labor portion50% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$1,222
Material portion50% — bought at national prices$1,222
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers pay near Lake CharlesBLS does not publish a metro figure for cement masons and concrete finishers near Lake Charles, LA, so this is the Louisiana state average, SOC 47-2051$52,840/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2051$60,050/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs −12% against the U.S. mean−$156

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a poured concrete slab is $6.50 per ft² of slab — poured slab pricing published for 2026, $4–$11 per ft² for a 4-inch slab on grade. Labor is about 50% of that. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers near Lake Charles, LA average $52,840 a year against a U.S. mean of $60,050 — a factor of 0.88 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for cement masons and concrete finishers near Lake Charles, LA, so this is the Louisiana state average, SOC 47-2051.
  • This one falls back to a wider average. BLS did not publish a metro-level wage for this trade near Lake Charles, LA, so the figure above is a state average. It is still the right order of magnitude, but a local bid carries more weight here than it would in a large metro where the survey has more responses.
  • What is in the price: excavation to grade, a compacted gravel base, forms, wire mesh or fibre, the concrete itself, placing, screeding, a broom or trowel finish, and labor.
  • What is not: thickened edges for a load-bearing wall, a vapour barrier under a heated slab, rebar mats where an engineer calls for them, saw-cut control joints past the standard spacing, and any grading or drainage work around the pour. These are the lines that turn a $2,444 quote into a $3,055 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

a poured concrete slab in Lake Charles, LA

$2,444 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $1,504 and $4,136.

That is $156 less than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 50% of this job is labor — $1,222 of the $2,444 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers near Lake Charles average $52,840 a year, against a U.S. mean of $60,050. That is a factor of 0.88, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for cement masons and concrete finishers near Lake Charles, LA, so this is the Louisiana state average, SOC 47-2051.

What the quote should include

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $2,444 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $1,504 – $4,136, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

Read more