Colorado Concrete Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Colorado loss cost for concrete workers comp, class 5213 (Concrete Construction NOC), is $2.190 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $3.29.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Colorado 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 Colorado
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 5,140 cement masons and concrete finishers on payrolls in Colorado (May 2025), the 12th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.18 an hour, 6% above the US median of $27.41.
This trade is a bigger part of the Colorado job market than it is nationally: cement masons and concrete finishers hold 1.4 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Colorado premium of about $3.29 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $2.19 for class 5213 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.96 for every hour worked, or $1,997 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $7,987 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Colorado pay runs from $22.18 an hour at the 10th percentile to $36.32 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.73 an hour on a new hire and $1.19 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Colorado
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners exempt by default; may elect in
- State fund: Competitive state fund (Pinnacol Assurance), which must insure any Colorado employer
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
- Penalty for going without: Fines up to $250-$500 per day, plus a 50% benefit increase paid by an uninsured employer
If you are uninsured when a worker is hurt in Colorado, their benefits are increased 50% out of your own pocket.
Colorado vs neighboring states
- Wyoming: about $2.39 per $100 of payroll
Colorado has the highest concrete comp rate in its region; every neighboring state charges less per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Wyoming needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
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.