Arkansas Concrete Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Arkansas does not publish its concrete class figures online. Across the 26 states that do, the median typical premium is about $3.84 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Arkansas figure.

No official Arkansas figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Arkansas class code for concrete

5213: Concrete Construction NOC
5215 (Concrete Work - Incidental to the Construction of Private Residence)
5221 (Concrete or Cement Work - Floors, Driveways, Yards or Sidewalks & Drivers)

Concrete work involves heavy lifting, silica dust from cutting and grinding, skin burns from wet cement, and equipment hazards from mixers, vibrators and pumps.

What comp costs per concrete finisher in Arkansas

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,900 cement masons and concrete finishers on payrolls in Arkansas (May 2025), the 33rd largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.23 an hour, 19% below the US median of $27.41.

Cement masons and concrete finishers make up about the same share of Arkansas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.10).

At the US median of $3.84 per $100 of payroll (Arkansas does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.85 for every hour worked, or $1,776 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $7,102 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Arkansas pay runs from $16.47 an hour at the 10th percentile to $28.53 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.63 an hour on a new hire and $1.10 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Arkansas

Coverage required: 3+ employees; 2 for construction, 1 if the contractor subcontracts work out
Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; owners file a Certificate of Non-Coverage to stay exempt
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
Penalty for going without: Civil penalties, stop-work orders, and criminal exposure for knowing failure

Arkansas steps the construction threshold down to two employees, or one for any contractor who subcontracts work out.

Arkansas vs neighboring states

Missouri: about $5.19 per $100 of payroll
Texas: about $1.67 per $100 of payroll

Arkansas does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Texas is the cheapest for concrete comp at about $1.67 and Missouri the most expensive at about $5.19 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

What moves a concrete comp bill

Concrete classes depend on the work: flatwork and driveways often rate differently from foundations and structural pours. Getting the class right is the first saving.
Back and crush injuries from forms, rebar, and pump hoses drive claims. A short pre-pour safety check on every job helps your mod over three years.
Concrete crews often hire short-term labor during the pour season. Every worker you pay counts at audit, so keep clean payroll records for temporary hires.
Owner-operators who pour alone can often exclude themselves; the rules vary by state, so check before you skip coverage.