Boilermakers
Median $76,410
Occupation · SOC 47-2031
Carpenters: pay and where the jobs are
What carpenters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$60,580 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $65,630
- Median hourly wage
- $29.12
- Mean hourly wage
- $31.55
- Employment
- 670,090
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2031.
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See where your pay falls among carpenters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do carpenters make?
The median annual wage for carpenters was $60,580 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,410 and the highest-paid 10% more than $99,910. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.12. About 670,090 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($85,280), Illinois ($79,000) and California ($75,920). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Illinois.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for carpenters looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,410 | $19.43 | $3,368 | $2,887 |
| 25th percentile | $48,510 | $23.32 | $4,043 | $3,430 |
| Median | $60,580 | $29.12 | $5,048 | $4,238 |
| 75th percentile | $76,830 | $36.94 | $6,403 | $5,240 |
| 90th percentile | $99,910 | $48.03 | $8,326 | $6,593 |
Carpenters: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$60,666 take-home in national prices
2
$59,125 take-home in national prices
3
$57,987 take-home in national prices
Where a median carpenter paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 4,810 | $85,280 | $52,760 | $115,900 | $63,757 | $57,987 |
| Illinois | 19,570 | $79,000 | $39,890 | $117,660 | $60,641 | $60,666 |
| California | 100,750 | $75,920 | $47,490 | $119,950 | $58,405 | $52,750 |
| Massachusetts | 18,540 | $75,200 | $48,230 | $122,880 | $57,847 | $54,698 |
| Washington | 26,960 | $74,190 | $52,330 | $119,920 | $59,994 | $56,062 |
| Alaska | 2,560 | $73,860 | $49,060 | $151,530 | $60,520 | $59,125 |
| New York | 40,630 | $72,330 | $46,860 | $122,400 | $56,062 | $51,947 |
| Minnesota | 14,930 | $64,930 | $46,590 | $99,130 | $51,174 | $51,889 |
| Connecticut | 5,160 | $64,060 | $49,140 | $88,000 | $50,559 | $48,797 |
| New Jersey | 14,230 | $64,010 | $43,680 | $121,490 | $51,164 | $47,024 |
| Maryland | 9,770 | $62,960 | $43,930 | $94,970 | $50,144 | $47,775 |
| Indiana | 15,240 | $62,870 | $45,510 | $90,700 | $50,871 | $54,507 |
| Oregon | 15,110 | $62,870 | $43,800 | $106,360 | $48,124 | $46,559 |
| Colorado | 12,740 | $62,830 | $47,020 | $90,740 | $50,331 | $48,841 |
| Vermont | 3,080 | $62,400 | $47,840 | $76,850 | $50,662 | $51,718 |
| Nevada | 12,700 | $62,380 | $41,670 | $102,360 | $52,302 | $52,313 |
| Maine | 5,170 | $62,160 | $47,130 | $78,240 | $49,297 | $50,795 |
| District of Columbia | 1,540 | $61,710 | $47,840 | $80,720 | $49,199 | $44,767 |
| Michigan | 18,590 | $61,680 | $44,550 | $81,860 | $49,369 | $51,310 |
| Wisconsin | 13,880 | $61,660 | $45,110 | $93,040 | $49,572 | $52,683 |
| New Hampshire | 3,760 | $61,200 | $45,500 | $92,410 | $51,354 | $49,301 |
| Missouri | 14,410 | $60,840 | $38,700 | $96,310 | $49,143 | $54,112 |
| Rhode Island | 2,580 | $60,840 | $47,840 | $89,670 | $48,731 | $47,645 |
| Ohio | 18,450 | $60,810 | $42,290 | $81,140 | $49,812 | $53,692 |
| New Mexico | 3,630 | $59,720 | $40,100 | $77,790 | $48,524 | $52,622 |
| Pennsylvania | 30,630 | $59,370 | $42,970 | $92,110 | $48,020 | $49,215 |
| Delaware | 2,250 | $59,200 | $45,160 | $81,320 | $46,902 | $46,992 |
| Montana | 4,030 | $58,820 | $43,010 | $77,140 | $47,434 | $50,118 |
| Arizona | 16,230 | $58,580 | $38,830 | $75,950 | $48,178 | $47,854 |
| North Dakota | 2,360 | $57,890 | $43,860 | $76,760 | $48,695 | $54,738 |
| Iowa | 5,770 | $57,710 | $39,040 | $76,540 | $47,009 | $53,564 |
| Kansas | 5,210 | $56,960 | $38,860 | $88,090 | $45,569 | $50,594 |
| Wyoming | 2,260 | $56,850 | $44,710 | $80,800 | $47,859 | $51,633 |
| Virginia | 20,460 | $55,690 | $38,230 | $74,250 | $44,539 | $44,053 |
| Kentucky | 8,540 | $52,680 | $36,760 | $72,960 | $42,782 | $47,452 |
| Utah | 15,220 | $52,360 | $36,560 | $75,170 | $42,443 | $42,931 |
| Idaho | 8,380 | $52,000 | $36,850 | $75,710 | $42,314 | $44,311 |
| Virgin Islands | 270 | $51,730 | $31,390 | $68,540 | — | — |
| Tennessee | 8,200 | $50,830 | $37,460 | $66,450 | $43,022 | $46,829 |
| South Carolina | 6,950 | $50,670 | $36,010 | $79,040 | $41,849 | $44,640 |
| Nebraska | 5,710 | $50,320 | $38,920 | $72,800 | $41,202 | $45,728 |
| Louisiana | 8,990 | $49,920 | $34,100 | $69,310 | $41,179 | $46,685 |
| Florida | 39,300 | $49,870 | $36,910 | $69,950 | $42,251 | $40,856 |
| Georgia | 9,190 | $49,350 | $34,890 | $63,470 | $40,119 | $41,663 |
| North Carolina | 13,480 | $49,100 | $35,620 | $63,160 | $40,181 | $42,599 |
| Texas | 33,540 | $48,900 | $36,980 | $65,920 | $41,471 | $42,729 |
| West Virginia | 3,670 | $48,710 | $35,900 | $70,060 | $39,929 | $44,615 |
| Mississippi | 2,950 | $48,650 | $34,670 | $63,440 | $40,056 | $46,067 |
| Alabama | 5,560 | $48,220 | $34,430 | $63,140 | $38,934 | $43,833 |
| South Dakota | 4,560 | $48,140 | $37,720 | $65,890 | $40,860 | $46,125 |
| Arkansas | 4,030 | $47,760 | $36,400 | $70,550 | $39,276 | $45,177 |
| Oklahoma | 3,820 | $46,910 | $34,670 | $64,940 | $38,307 | $43,608 |
| Guam | 1,510 | $36,910 | $35,210 | $47,470 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 3,180 | $30,530 | $26,310 | $36,560 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.