Short answer
The Omaha metro had 173 concrete establishments in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns): 147 poured concrete contractors employing 1,325 people and 26 ready-mix plants. Douglas County had 90 and Sarpy 30; 23 were on the Iowa side. The Census Bureau flagged the metro's total employment as high-noise, so it isn't reported. In Iowa, anyone earning $2,000 a year or more from construction must register with the state, and contractors based outside Iowa, including Omaha firms, must file a $25,000 bond.
- 173 concrete establishments in the Omaha metro: 147 contractors and 26 ready-mix plants.
- Contractor locations employ 1,325 people at $70,657 average pay; the metro total isn't reported (high-noise).
- 138 of the 173 locations have fewer than 20 employees; 2 have 100 or more.
- Iowa requires a $25,000 bond from contractors whose principal place of business is outside Iowa.
- Eagle Materials supplies eastern Nebraska with cement through an Omaha terminal.
On this page
This report is for homeowners, builders and property managers in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area hiring a concrete contractor or supplier, and for B2B sellers whose customers are concrete firms: sureties and insurers, equipment dealers, cement and admixture suppliers, and software vendors.
The count, and the number that's missing
Figures for the Omaha, NE-IA Metro Area (CBSA 36540), combining NAICS 238110 (Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors) and NAICS 327320 (Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing). Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
| Measure (2023) | Omaha metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 173 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Annual payroll | Not reported (high-noise figure) |
| Share of US establishments | 0.58% of 29,706 |
The Census Bureau adds noise to protect individual businesses and flags the result when the noise moved a figure by 5% or more. Here the ready-mix employment and payroll carry that flag, so the combined totals aren't reliable and we don't report them. The contractor figures are clean:
| Industry (2023) | Establishments | Employees | Annual payroll | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete contractors (238110) | 147 | 1,325 | $93,621,000 | $70,657 |
| Ready-mix plants (327320) | 26 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | Not reported (high-noise figure) | Not reported |
The establishment counts by size are published for both codes:
| Employees per location | Both codes | Contractors | Ready-mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 90 | 85 | 5 |
| 5 to 9 | 30 | 25 | 5 |
| 10 to 19 | 18 | 14 | 4 |
| 20 to 49 | 27 | 19 | 8 |
| 50 to 99 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 100 or more | 2 (derived) | 1 (derived) | 1 (derived) |
The 100-or-more figures are the totals less the published classes; the Census Bureau doesn't publish those classes here. In bands, 138 locations have fewer than 20 employees, 33 have 20 to 99, and 2 have 100 or more.
Both sides of the river
| County | Establishments | Employees | Contractors | Ready-mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County, Nebraska | 90 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 82 | 8 |
| Sarpy County, Nebraska | 30 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 24 | 6 |
| Pottawattamie County, Iowa | 20 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 17 | 3 |
| Washington County, Nebraska | 8 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 8 | Not published |
| Saunders County, Nebraska | 7 | 133 | 7 | Not published |
| Cass County, Nebraska | 6 | 52 | 6 | Not published |
| Harrison County, Iowa | 3 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 3 | Not published |
Douglas County's 82 contractor locations employ 735 people and Sarpy's 24 employ 348, both clean figures; Sarpy's average of 14.5 per location is well above Douglas's 9.0. County ready-mix rows with fewer than three plants aren't published.
As everywhere in County Business Patterns, these are locations with payroll, not companies, and owner-operators without payroll are left out.
The Iowa rule for Omaha crews
Iowa's Division of Labor registers contractors:
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who registers | Anyone earning at least $2,000 a year from construction work, other than on their own property |
| Fee and term | $50, renewed every year |
| Out-of-state bond | Each contractor with a principal place of business outside Iowa must file a $25,000 bond to register, and an Iowa branch office doesn't change that |
So an Omaha flatwork company pouring a driveway in Council Bluffs needs Iowa registration and the bond first. On the Nebraska side, ask for the firm's state contractor registration number; Nebraska's labor department site didn't load when we checked, so we haven't summarized its rules here.
Worked example: should an Omaha crew take Iowa work?
Illustrative example. Prices and margins are invented to show the arithmetic.
An Omaha contractor is offered eight driveway jobs a year in Council Bluffs at $9,000 each, at a 12% margin.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Iowa revenue | 8 × $9,000 = $72,000 |
| Margin at 12% | $8,640 |
| Iowa registration | $50 |
| $25,000 bond at an assumed 2% premium | $500 |
| Margin after compliance | $8,090 |
Compliance costs about 6% of the Iowa margin, which is worth it at eight jobs and not at one. For a homeowner in Council Bluffs, it's a quick filter: an Omaha crew without Iowa registration either hasn't done the paperwork or doesn't do much Iowa work.
Where the concrete comes from
The Omaha metro is home to no SEC-registered listed concrete company. Two listed suppliers name the area in their latest annual reports. Eagle Materials' Central Plains Cement serves western Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Nebraska and Iowa from its Sugar Creek, Missouri plant, with a distribution terminal in Omaha. Martin Marietta's Central division, which supplies aggregates and asphalt, includes Nebraska and Iowa, and Iowa is one of its ten largest revenue states. The 26 ready-mix plants themselves are mostly regional producers; ask your contractor which one supplies your job.
Selling to Omaha concrete firms
Most firms are small (90 locations have fewer than five employees), and the two counties with real crews, Douglas and Sarpy, hold most of the work. Any product that solves the two-state problem (licensing, bonding, payroll and tax in both states) has an obvious audience here. For selling to owner-run firms, see how to sell to small businesses. Bebop can find the Douglas and Sarpy county firms that fit a description and research each one.
Illustrative example. A surety agency (missouririverbonds.example) targets the 106 contractor locations in Douglas and Sarpy counties with Iowa's out-of-state bond. At a 10% reply rate that's about 11 conversations; writing six $25,000 bonds plus two larger performance bonds is about $9,000 in annual premium, and a foothold with contractors who'll need bigger bonds later.
Subject: Iowa's $25,000 bond for your Council Bluffs jobs Hi [first name], If [Company] pours anything across the river, Iowa treats you as an out-of-state contractor: you need Iowa registration and a $25,000 bond on file first. We write that bond for Nebraska contractors in a day, usually at a small annual premium, and can help with the registration form. Want a quote? [Your name]
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Iowa Division of Labor: contractor registration | Who registers, the fee and the out-of-state bond |
| AGC Nebraska Building Chapter | Commercial general contractors and a member directory |
| Greater Omaha Chamber | Local employers and a business directory |
Next step: for the general contractors and builders these crews work for, read the report on construction companies in Omaha.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- County Business Patterns methodology, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Contractor registration, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, Division of Labor, accessed 30 October 2026
- Eagle Materials Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended 31 March 2026, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), filed 19 May 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
- Martin Marietta Materials Form 10-K for 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), filed 19 February 2026, accessed 30 October 2026
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many concrete companies are there in Omaha?
Census County Business Patterns counted 173 concrete establishments in the Omaha, NE-IA metro in 2023: 147 poured concrete contractors and 26 ready-mix plants. Douglas County had 90, Sarpy 30 and Pottawattamie County, Iowa, 20. The contractors employed 1,325 people. The metro's total employment was flagged as high-noise by the Census Bureau, so it isn't reported.
Why is Omaha's concrete employment not reported?
The Census Bureau adds noise to County Business Patterns figures so no single business can be identified, and flags a figure when that noise changed it by 5% or more. Omaha's ready-mix employment and payroll carry that high-noise flag, which makes the combined total unreliable. The contractor figures aren't flagged: 147 locations, 1,325 employees and $93.6 million in payroll.
Does an Omaha contractor need a license to work in Council Bluffs?
Iowa requires contractor registration with its Division of Labor for anyone earning $2,000 or more a year from construction. The fee is $50 a year. Contractors whose principal place of business is outside Iowa, which includes Omaha firms, must also file a $25,000 bond to register. Ask an Omaha crew for its Iowa registration before it works on your Iowa property.
Who supplies cement to Omaha concrete plants?
Several producers do; one names Omaha in its annual report. Eagle Materials' Central Plains Cement serves eastern Nebraska and Iowa from its plant in Sugar Creek, Missouri, through a distribution terminal in Omaha. The 26 ready-mix plants in the metro buy cement from such terminals and aggregates from regional quarries, including Martin Marietta's Central division.