Iowa Concrete Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Iowa rate for concrete workers comp, class 5213 (Concrete Construction NOC), is $5.17 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Your experience modifier and any carrier discounts adjust it.
This is the published manual rate, so it already includes carrier expenses. Source.
Iowa 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 Iowa
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,110 cement masons and concrete finishers on payrolls in Iowa (May 2025), the 31st largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $27.99 an hour, 2% above the US median of $27.41.
Cement masons and concrete finishers make up about the same share of Iowa jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 1.02).
At the published Iowa rate of $5.17 per $100 of payroll for class 5213, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.45 for every hour worked, or $3,010 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $12,040 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Iowa pay runs from $19.67 an hour at the 10th percentile to $35.67 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.02 an hour on a new hire and $1.84 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Iowa
- Coverage required: 1 employee; no payroll or headcount floor
- Owners and sole proprietors: A full-time sole proprietor or partner is auto-excluded; may decline in writing or elect in
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability continues more than 14 days
- Penalty for going without: An uninsured employer loses tort immunity and can be sued for uncapped civil damages
Iowa has no small-employer exemption at all, requiring coverage from the first employee with no payroll floor.
Iowa vs neighboring states
Among its neighbors, Wisconsin is the cheapest for concrete comp at $3.93 and Missouri the most expensive at $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.