New Jersey Concrete Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published New Jersey rate for concrete workers comp, class 5213 (Concrete Construction NOC & Drivers), is $8.83 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.
New Jersey class codes for concrete
- 5200: Cement Work - Sidewalks, Cellar Floors, Driveways & Drivers
- 5213: Concrete Construction NOC & Drivers
- 5215: Concrete Work - Incidental to the Construction of Private Residence
New Jersey is an independent bureau state that uses NCCI-style 4-digit codes but with its own phraseologies and several state-specific assignments, e.g. HVAC under 3724, concrete flatwork under 5200, and no 5537, 5478 or 5221.
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 New Jersey
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 2,390 cement masons and concrete finishers on payrolls in New Jersey (May 2025), the 28th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $29.52 an hour, 8% above the US median of $27.41.
This trade is a smaller part of the New Jersey job market than it is nationally: cement masons and concrete finishers hold 0.42 times their national share of jobs there.
At the published New Jersey rate of $8.83 per $100 of payroll for class 5213, comp on one worker at that wage costs about $2.61 for every hour worked, or $5,422 a year full time. A 4-person crew comes to roughly $21,687 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. New Jersey pay runs from $21.50 an hour at the 10th percentile to $50.92 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $1.90 an hour on a new hire and $4.50 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in New Jersey
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Automatically excluded on a policy; may elect coverage via a Notice of Election
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive to day one if disability extends beyond 7 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $5,000 per 10-day period; knowing failure is a fourth-degree crime (up to $10,000 and 18 months)
New Jersey sets rates through its own independent bureau (NJCRIB) rather than NCCI, and caps temporary disability at 400 weeks.
New Jersey vs neighboring states
- Delaware: about $2.90 per $100 of payroll
- New York: about $24.68 per $100 of payroll
- Pennsylvania: about $4.26 per $100 of payroll
Among its neighbors, Delaware is the cheapest for concrete comp at $2.90 and New York the most expensive at $24.68 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.