2027 Salary Guide · Construction trades
At $29.12 an hour, the May 2025 BLS median for carpenters works out to $60,580 a year, and about $64,500 projected to 2027. Where a carpenter works changes that more than almost anything else: the median in the Bay Area is $89,200, while Dallas-Fort Worth's is $48,740, a gap of more than $40,000 for the same trade.
Career path
BLS does not publish pay by apprenticeship year. These stages map common career points onto the BLS hourly percentiles for May 2025.
About $19.43 to $23.32 an hour (10th to 25th percentile)
Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training with a set number of hours of technical instruction. BLS notes that requirements differ by program and region, and pay usually steps up as hours are completed.
About $23.32 to $36.94 an hour (25th to 75th percentile)
Works independently on framing, forms, finish work or installation. Where in this band a carpenter lands depends heavily on metro and on commercial versus residential work.
About $36.94 to $48.03+ an hour (75th to 90th percentile)
Runs a crew, reads and checks plans, orders materials and schedules the crew, all tasks on O*NET's list for the trade. Many carpenters at this level later move into estimating or construction management.
Local pay
The Bay Area ($89,200) and Chicago ($80,440) lead the 29 metros, with Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and New York City all above $74,000. New York City (about 34,210 carpenters) and Los Angeles (about 30,600) are the largest markets. At the other end, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and Atlanta all sit near $50,000, about $10,000 below the national median.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $89,200 +47% | $59,020 – $132,760 | 14,010 |
| Chicago | $80,440 +33% | $41,220 – $118,450 | 14,220 |
| Seattle | $76,410 +26% | $58,090 – $123,750 | 14,970 |
| Los Angeles | $75,740 +25% | $46,860 – $117,430 | 30,600 |
| Boston | $75,210 +24% | $48,820 – $124,190 | 12,720 |
| New York City | $74,300 +23% | $46,860 – $123,810 | 34,210 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $74,060 +22% | $49,920 – $100,830 | 10,200 |
| Portland | $73,710 +22% | $47,440 – $108,440 | 9,210 |
| San Diego | $73,200 +21% | $47,310 – $117,580 | 8,710 |
| Detroit | $65,810 +9% | $47,560 – $82,790 | 7,610 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | $64,910 +7% | $48,160 – $89,990 | 7,250 |
| Hartford | $64,770 +7% | $48,940 – $98,980 | 1,660 |
| Buffalo | $63,500 +5% | $42,670 – $83,360 | 2,440 |
| Baltimore | $62,380 +3% | $42,840 – $85,470 | 3,870 |
| Providence | $61,910 +2% | $47,500 – $100,710 | 4,140 |
| Philadelphia | $61,780 +2% | $45,690 – $98,470 | 14,260 |
| Pittsburgh | $61,180 +1% | $43,940 – $93,600 | 5,920 |
| Washington, DC | $60,800 +0% | $47,150 – $90,590 | 13,280 |
| Albany | $60,720 +0% | $48,260 – $91,470 | 2,000 |
| Phoenix | $60,320 +-0% | $39,820 – $77,790 | 12,710 |
| Nashville | $55,770 -8% | $40,120 – $69,680 | 3,040 |
| Tampa | $52,130 -14% | $37,180 – $69,950 | 6,010 |
| Miami | $51,570 -15% | $38,510 – $72,540 | 10,100 |
| Charlotte | $50,960 -16% | $38,240 – $65,640 | 3,730 |
| Raleigh | $50,820 -16% | $33,350 – $64,830 | 2,680 |
| Atlanta | $50,680 -16% | $37,190 – $63,210 | 6,380 |
| Austin | $50,260 -17% | $39,600 – $70,200 | 2,540 |
| Houston | $49,670 -18% | $39,470 – $68,500 | 9,600 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $48,740 -20% | $36,440 – $63,880 | 9,480 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
What moves pay
O*NET's reported titles for the trade include form, finish, rough, bridge and maintenance carpenters. These are the factors that most often separate a $48,000 carpenter from a $77,000 one, the 25th and 75th percentiles.
The gap between the highest and lowest metro medians in this guide is about $40,000, larger than the gap between an apprentice and a journey-level carpenter in most markets. Check the city table before comparing offers.
In BLS industry data, carpenters in nonresidential building construction had a $63,780 median in May 2025, against $60,600 in residential building construction. Building finishing contractors paid $60,880.
Form work for concrete, bridge and heavy-highway carpentry, and finish carpentry each call for different skills and tools. Specialty certification programs exist, and BLS lists certification by specialty as an option.
About 25% of carpenters are self-employed, the largest single group in BLS industry data. Their earnings are not part of the BLS wage figures on this page.
Pay distribution
The 10th percentile was $40,410 ($19.43 an hour) and the 90th was $99,910 ($48.03 an hour). The upper end of the range is long: the top tenth earns about $23,000 more than the 75th percentile. These figures cover wage and salary carpenters only.
Typical for the Carpenter title: $48,510 to $76,830 (25th to 75th percentile of Carpenters)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,410 | $43,000 |
| 25th percentile | $48,510 | $51,500 |
| Median | $60,580 | $64,500 |
| 75th percentile | $76,830 | $81,500 |
| 90th percentile | $99,910 | $106,000 |
Outlook
BLS projects average growth (3% to 4%) for carpenters, but the trade is so large, about 889,700 jobs, that it still expects about 62,800 openings a year. Most of those replace carpenters who retire or leave construction.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Carpenters as a whole.
For contractors
Carpenters compare offers by the hour. An annual figure hides overtime, weather days and the length of the job.
Framing, concrete forms, finish and trim, or interior systems. A generic "carpenter" posting draws applicants who may not have the skills for the job.
Many carpenters stay in one or the other, and the pay expectations differ.
State which tools you supply, how far the jobsites are and whether evening or weekend work is expected. BLS notes that most carpenters work full time and that weather can shift construction schedules.
Compare
Electricians and plumbers earn a few thousand dollars more than carpenters at the median, about $2,600 to $3,200. Moving into construction management is the bigger jump, roughly $54,400 above the carpenter median.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter | $60,580 | $64,500 | Average |
| Electrician | $63,190 | $67,000 | Much faster than average |
| Plumber | $63,800 | $68,000 | Much faster than average |
| Construction Manager | $114,990 | $122,000 | Much faster than average |
FAQ
The BLS median for carpenters was $29.12 an hour in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $19.43 and the 90th was $48.03. Pay varies sharply by metro: the annual median runs from $48,740 in Dallas-Fort Worth to $89,200 in the Bay Area.
Carpenters earned a median of $60,580 a year in May 2025, according to BLS, and the middle half earned between $48,510 and $76,830. Projected two years forward at about 3.1% a year, the 2027 planning median is about $64,500. Overtime and weather days can move a carpenter's actual annual pay in either direction.
BLS does not report apprentice pay separately. The 10th percentile, a reasonable guide for early apprentices and helpers, was $19.43 an hour ($40,410 a year) in May 2025. Apprenticeships are paid, and pay typically rises as the apprentice completes training hours.
Among the 29 metros in this guide, the Bay Area had the highest median for carpenters at $89,200 in May 2025, followed by Chicago at $80,440 and Seattle at $76,410. Dallas-Fort Worth had the lowest at $48,740, and Houston, Austin and Atlanta were also near $50,000.
No, they fall outside the BLS wage survey. BLS wage figures cover wage and salary workers, and BLS says about 25% of carpenters are self-employed. Their income depends on what they charge and how steadily they book work, so it can sit well above or below the employee figures on this page.
Careerscape recruiters who focus on construction trades can send pre-screened carpenters for temporary, contract-to-hire or direct hire roles.
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