Pay · 47-2031
Carpenters earn $60,580 a year at the midpoint
One of the largest occupations in the country — about 670,090 people — with a midpoint of $60,580 a year.
National figures for carpenters, 47-2031, from the 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
- Read the spread, not the middle. The median is the midpoint across everyone in the occupation, most of them years into the work. A beginner starts nearer the 10th to 25th percentile, which is why the spread is published alongside it.
- What the figure counts. The figure counts base pay plus tips, commissions and production bonuses. It leaves out the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers, and the value of benefits or profit sharing.
- Where you live moves it more than your resume does. National figures. A state or metro area can sit far from the national number, and that gap is usually larger than any difference a resume makes.
- Not in these numbers. Growth and annual openings are not in this dataset. They come from the separate Employment Projections tables, where an opening is a modelled ten year average and not a posted vacancy.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025. Retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on 2026-08-13. bls.gov/oes “BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.”
Carpenter earnings, from starting pay to the top 10%
Pick the job, where you work and how long you have done it. The range comes from the published wage percentiles for that job.
The survey has no complete figures for that job — pick the closest title from the list.
An estimate from survey percentiles, not an offer. Employer, industry, shift and credentials move pay within and beyond this range. Full wage page for this job →
A resume for carpenters
Name the job in the builder and the duties, skills and credentials it is screened on are written in for you.
- Measured and marked cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Followed established safety rules and regulations and maintained a safe and cleaned environment.
- Shaped or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The owner of tiersi.com has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Carpenter pay rate, hourly to annual
Starts at this job’s median. Change the rate or the hours; a full-time year is 40 hours for 52 weeks.
Carpenter wages, state by state
The 36 states where the most people do this work, of 51 with a published figure: their medians range by 1.77 times. Figures are the 2025 survey.
| State | Median a year | Where most start | 10th to 90th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $85,280 | $52,760 | $52,760 — $115,900 | 4,810 |
| Illinois | $79,000 | $39,890 | $39,890 — $117,660 | 19,570 |
| California | $75,920 | $47,490 | $47,490 — $119,950 | 100,750 |
| Massachusetts | $75,200 | $48,230 | $48,230 — $122,880 | 18,540 |
| Washington | $74,190 | $52,330 | $52,330 — $119,920 | 26,960 |
| New York | $72,330 | $46,860 | $46,860 — $122,400 | 40,630 |
| Minnesota | $64,930 | $46,590 | $46,590 — $99,130 | 14,930 |
| Connecticut | $64,060 | $49,140 | $49,140 — $88,000 | 5,160 |
| New Jersey | $64,010 | $43,680 | $43,680 — $121,490 | 14,230 |
| Maryland | $62,960 | $43,930 | $43,930 — $94,970 | 9,770 |
| Indiana | $62,870 | $45,510 | $45,510 — $90,700 | 15,240 |
| Oregon | $62,870 | $43,800 | $43,800 — $106,360 | 15,110 |
| Colorado | $62,830 | $47,020 | $47,020 — $90,740 | 12,740 |
| Nevada | $62,380 | $41,670 | $41,670 — $102,360 | 12,700 |
| Maine | $62,160 | $47,130 | $47,130 — $78,240 | 5,170 |
| Michigan | $61,680 | $44,550 | $44,550 — $81,860 | 18,590 |
| Wisconsin | $61,660 | $45,110 | $45,110 — $93,040 | 13,880 |
| Missouri | $60,840 | $38,700 | $38,700 — $96,310 | 14,410 |
| Ohio | $60,810 | $42,290 | $42,290 — $81,140 | 18,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,370 | $42,970 | $42,970 — $92,110 | 30,630 |
| Arizona | $58,580 | $38,830 | $38,830 — $75,950 | 16,230 |
| Iowa | $57,710 | $39,040 | $39,040 — $76,540 | 5,770 |
| Kansas | $56,960 | $38,860 | $38,860 — $88,090 | 5,210 |
| Virginia | $55,690 | $38,230 | $38,230 — $74,250 | 20,460 |
| Kentucky | $52,680 | $36,760 | $36,760 — $72,960 | 8,540 |
| Utah | $52,360 | $36,560 | $36,560 — $75,170 | 15,220 |
| Idaho | $52,000 | $36,850 | $36,850 — $75,710 | 8,380 |
| Tennessee | $50,830 | $37,460 | $37,460 — $66,450 | 8,200 |
| South Carolina | $50,670 | $36,010 | $36,010 — $79,040 | 6,950 |
| Nebraska | $50,320 | $38,920 | $38,920 — $72,800 | 5,710 |
| Louisiana | $49,920 | $34,100 | $34,100 — $69,310 | 8,990 |
| Florida | $49,870 | $36,910 | $36,910 — $69,950 | 39,300 |
| Georgia | $49,350 | $34,890 | $34,890 — $63,470 | 9,190 |
| North Carolina | $49,100 | $35,620 | $35,620 — $63,160 | 13,480 |
| Texas | $48,900 | $36,980 | $36,980 — $65,920 | 33,540 |
| Alabama | $48,220 | $34,430 | $34,430 — $63,140 | 5,560 |
Place 394 of 788 by median pay
Better paid than 50% of the occupations in the survey.
- 392 Paramedics $60,600
- 393 Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $60,600
- 394 Carpenters $60,580
- 395 Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
- 396 Chemical Technicians $60,390
Examples
Resumes written for this kind of job.
Real sheets, filled in end to end — for this job and the ones beside it.
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What people often ask
What is a carpenter’s yearly income?
A carpenter makes a median of $60,580 a year (2025 survey). The middle half earn between $48,510 and $76,830.
What is a carpenter’s hourly pay rate?
The median pay rate is $29.12 an hour; the average is $65,630 a year.
What is the starting pay for a carpenter?
Starting pay is usually near the 25th percentile, $48,510 a year, and sometimes as low as the 10th, $40,410.
Which state pays carpenters the most?
Hawaii, with a median of $85,280 a year.
How many people work as carpenters?
About 670,090 in the United States — number 394 of 788 occupations by median pay.
Work that pays nearly the same
Median pay within $30 of what carpenters earn — $60,580 a year — but not always the same spread.
- $20 more Paramedics $60,600median a year 10th percentile: $44,230 90th percentile: $84,850
- $20 more Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $60,600median a year 10th percentile: $44,540 90th percentile: $100,270
- $30 less Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550median a year 10th percentile: $42,390 90th percentile: $81,040