Short answer
The St. Louis MO-IL metro had 276 concrete establishments in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns): 212 poured concrete contractors and 64 ready-mix plants, employing 4,917 people. St. Louis County led with 70, followed by St. Charles (38) and Madison County, Illinois (34). Neither state licenses concrete contractors, so check the firm's state business registration, insurance certificates and recent jobs. The American Society of Concrete Contractors, a national association of about 750 companies, is based in Sappington, in St. Louis County.
- 276 concrete establishments in the St. Louis metro employ 4,917 people on a $377.5 million payroll.
- St. Louis County's 53 contractor locations employ 2,314 people, an average of 43.7.
- The City of St. Louis itself has only 5 concrete contractor locations.
- Ready-mix plants pay less on average ($69,760) than contractors ($78,514).
- Seven Illinois counties hold at least 87 of the metro's 276 concrete locations.
On this page
This report is for owners, builders and developers in the St. Louis region choosing a concrete contractor or supplier, and for B2B sellers whose customers are concrete firms: accountants and sureties, estimating and project software, forming and equipment suppliers, and plant-side vendors.
Where the work is, on both sides of the river
Figures for the St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area (CBSA 41180), combining NAICS 238110 (Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors) and NAICS 327320 (Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing). Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
| County | All concrete | Employees | Contractors (employees) | Ready-mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis County, Missouri | 70 | 2,568 | 53 (2,314) | 17 |
| St. Charles County, Missouri | 38 | 576 | 30 (389) | 8 |
| Madison County, Illinois | 34 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 26 (409) | 8 |
| Jefferson County, Missouri | 27 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 24 (97) | 3 |
| St. Clair County, Illinois | 23 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 17 (270) | 6 |
| Franklin County, Missouri | 18 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 18 | Not published |
| Lincoln County, Missouri | 16 | 103 | 12 (52) | 4 |
| Clinton County, Illinois | 12 | Not reported (high-noise figure) | 7 | 5 |
Several combined employee totals were published but flagged as high-noise (the Census Bureau's confidentiality noise moved them by 5% or more), so we leave them out; where a contractor-only figure is clean, it's shown in brackets. The City of St. Louis, a separate county, has just 5 contractor locations, with 110 employees. Counting Bond, Jersey, Macoupin and Monroe counties too, the Illinois side has at least 87 of the 276 locations in published county rows.
St. Louis County stands out: its contractor locations average 43.7 employees, against 13.0 in St. Charles and 4.0 in Jefferson County. The region's large foundation and structural contractors are based there.
The market in numbers
| Measure (2023) | St. Louis metro |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 276 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 4,917 |
| Annual payroll | $377,485,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 17.8 |
| Average annual pay | $76,771 |
| Share of US establishments | 0.93% of 29,706 |
| Industry (2023) | Establishments | Employees | Annual payroll | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete contractors (238110) | 212 | 3,938 | $309,190,000 | $78,514 |
| Ready-mix plants (327320) | 64 | 979 | $68,295,000 | $69,760 |
| Employees per location | Both codes | Contractors | Ready-mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 126 | 105 | 21 |
| 5 to 9 | 65 | 54 | 11 |
| 10 to 19 | 33 | 23 | 10 |
| 20 to 49 | 36 | 15 | 21 |
| 50 to 99 | Not published | 6 | Not published |
| 100 to 249 | Not published | 7 | Not published |
| 250 or more | Not published | 2 (derived) | Not published |
The contractor row for 250 or more is the 212 total less the published classes. One ready-mix location is in a class the Census Bureau doesn't publish. Nine contractor locations have 100 or more employees, and 224 of all 276 locations have fewer than 20.
County Business Patterns counts establishments with paid employees, not companies. A producer with several plants counts each, and owner-operators without payroll aren't counted.
Vetting a contractor without a license to check
Missouri licenses electrical contractors statewide but not concrete work, and Illinois doesn't license concrete contractors either. That leaves four checks:
| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| The business is real and in good standing | Missouri Secretary of State business search, or Illinois's for an Illinois firm |
| Insurance | A certificate naming you, for general liability and workers' comp |
| Local permit rules | The city or county where the work is; St. Louis County and its municipalities set their own |
| Track record | Recent jobs, references and, for commercial work, a bonding letter |
Trade membership is a soft signal. The American Society of Concrete Contractors, founded in 1964 and based in Sappington in St. Louis County, says it represents about 750 companies worldwide and keeps a member directory.
Worked example: plain versus stamped, over 15 years
Illustrative example. Prices and intervals are invented to show the arithmetic.
A Kirkwood homeowner is choosing between a plain broom-finish patio and a stamped, colored one, 400 square feet each.
| Broom finish | Stamped and colored | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed price | 400 × $11 = $4,400 | 400 × $18 = $7,200 |
| Sealing | None needed | Every 3 years at $600: 5 times in 15 years = $3,000 |
| 15-year cost | $4,400 | $10,200 |
The stamped patio costs $2,800 more up front but $5,800 more over 15 years, because decorative finishes need resealing. Ask stamped-concrete bidders what sealing they recommend and what it costs.
Supply
Sixty-four ready-mix locations serve the metro, 17 of them in St. Louis County, and they pay less on average than the contractors, the reverse of most large metros. No listed concrete producer files with the SEC from a St. Louis address. Martin Marietta's 10-K places Missouri in its Central division, and its February 2026 exchange with Quikrete added aggregates operations in Missouri, Kansas, Virginia and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Selling to St. Louis concrete firms
Two markets sit side by side. St. Louis County's large contractors buy like mid-sized companies, with estimators, project managers, safety staff and bonding needs; the rest of the metro is small owner-run crews. Products that help a contractor get bonded and win bigger work, such as job-cost accounting and work-in-progress reporting, fit the first group. For the person to approach, see how to find decision makers. Bebop can find the larger St. Louis County contractors from a description of the firm you want and research each.
Illustrative example. An accounting firm for contractors (gatewaycpa.example) targets the 15 contractor locations with 50 or more employees, mostly in St. Louis County, plus the 15 with 20 to 49. Thirty firms at two contacts each (owner and controller) is 60 people; at a 10% reply rate that's 6 conversations, and two new audit and work-in-progress clients at $38,000 a year each is $76,000.
Subject: WIP schedules your surety will like Hi [first name], [Company] runs crews big enough that bonding capacity probably sets how much public and commercial work you can take on. We prepare monthly work-in-progress schedules and reviewed statements for concrete contractors in the St. Louis area, in the format sureties ask for. Worth 20 minutes to see if it would raise your bonding line? [Your name]
Local sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| American Society of Concrete Contractors | The national contractors' association, with a member directory |
| Missouri Secretary of State business search | Registration and standing for Missouri companies |
| Missouri statute 324.925 | The statewide electrical contractor license, the trade Missouri does license |
| AGC of Missouri | Commercial and highway general contractors |
| Greater St. Louis, Inc. | Regional economic development and major projects |
Next step: for the general contractors these crews work for, read the report on construction companies in St. Louis.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- American Society of Concrete Contractors, ASCC, accessed 30 October 2026
- Section 324.925, RSMo: statewide electrical contractor licensing, Missouri Revisor of Statutes, 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 St. Louis?
Census County Business Patterns counted 276 concrete establishments in the St. Louis metro in 2023: 212 poured concrete contractors and 64 ready-mix plants, employing 4,917 people. St. Louis County had 70, St. Charles County 38 and Madison County, Illinois, 34. The City of St. Louis had only 5 contractor locations. Owner-operators without payroll aren't included.
Do concrete contractors need a license in Missouri?
Missouri has no state license for concrete contractors; it licenses electrical contractors statewide. Illinois doesn't license concrete work either. Local governments can require business licenses and permits, and St. Louis County's municipalities set their own rules. Check the company's registration with the Secretary of State, ask for insurance certificates and confirm who pulls any permit the job needs.
Where are the biggest concrete contractors in St. Louis?
In St. Louis County. Its 53 concrete contractor locations employed 2,314 people in 2023, an average of 43.7 each, by Census count, far above St. Charles County's 13.0 or Jefferson County's 4.0. Across the metro, nine contractor locations had 100 or more employees. The large foundation and structural firms bid commercial and public work across both states.
What is the American Society of Concrete Contractors?
It's a nonprofit association founded in 1964 by and for concrete contractors, focused on cast-in-place work. It's headquartered in Sappington, in St. Louis County, and says it represents about 750 companies worldwide, including concrete and general contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. It keeps a member directory, which is a useful starting list for finding established contractors.