How Much Do Carpenters Make?
National median $59,310/yr ($28.51/hr)
Carpentry is one of the largest and best-paying construction trades that needs no college degree. As of May 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for carpenters at $59,310 a year, or about $28.51 an hour. That is well above the $49,500 median for all jobs, and there are roughly 700,000 carpenters working across the country.
Pay spreads widely by skill, sector, and location. The bottom 10% of carpenters earn under $38,760 a year, about $18.63 an hour, while the top 10% clear more than $98,370, about $47.29 an hour. The national average is $64,040, pulled above the median by union work, high-cost metros, and specialty crews.
What pushes a carpenter's pay up is straightforward. Union scale through a United Brotherhood of Carpenters local adds employer-paid health and pension on top of the hourly wage. Industrial and heavy commercial work pays more than residential. Travel jobs with per-diem, steady overtime, and high-wage states like Hawaii and Illinois all raise the number on the check.
Pay by experience
Highest-paying paths
Journeyman wages of roughly $28 to $55/hr depending on market, plus $8 to $15/hr in employer-paid health and pension, so total package can top $50/hr even when the base wage is lower.
Refineries, power plants, data centers, and factories pay more than residential framing. Nonresidential building carpenters routinely earn several dollars an hour above the median.
Shutdowns, turnarounds, and big out-of-town projects add a tax-free per-diem of about $100 to $150 a day for lodging and meals on top of the hourly wage.
Time-and-a-half past 40 hours, and sometimes double time, can add $10,000 to $20,000 a year. Turnaround work often runs 60 to 70 hour weeks.
Annual mean pay leads in Hawaii ($78,170), Illinois ($71,370), New Jersey ($69,630), New York ($68,790), and Washington ($68,570), per BLS May 2024.
Urban Honolulu tops the country at about $94,090 mean, with the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City close behind. Big union metros pay a strong premium.
Concrete formwork, finish carpentry and millwork, scaffold building, interior systems, and pile driving command the highest rates within the trade.
How to earn more
- Join a United Brotherhood of Carpenters apprenticeship or go union. You get scale wages plus employer-paid health and pension, which can add $8 to $15/hr in value.
- Move from residential into industrial or heavy commercial work, where refineries, plants, and data centers pay several dollars an hour more.
- Take travel and shutdown jobs that pay a tax-free per-diem of $100 to $150 a day and stack long overtime weeks.
- Specialize in a high-rate skill such as concrete formwork, finish and millwork, scaffold, interior systems, or pile driving.
- Stack certifications (OSHA 30, first aid, forklift and scissor lift, welding) and step up to lead carpenter or foreman.
- Relocate to a high-wage state or metro like Hawaii, Illinois, New York, or the Bay Area, or start your own contracting business.
See who's hiring
Browse Carpenter jobs with pay shown upfront, or read the full Carpenter career guide.
Carpenter pay: common questions
How much do carpenters make?
As of May 2024, the median carpenter earns $59,310 a year, about $28.51 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most carpenters make between roughly $19 and $47 an hour depending on skill, sector, and region.
Do carpenters make good money?
Yes. The median carpenter wage of $59,310 is well above the $49,500 median for all U.S. jobs, and the trade needs no college degree. Union, industrial, and experienced carpenters earn considerably more.
Can you make $100,000 as a carpenter?
Yes. The top 10% of carpenters earn more than $98,370 a year, and foremen, business owners, union journeymen in high-wage metros, and travel workers with per-diem and overtime routinely clear $100,000.
How much do carpenters make an hour?
The median is $28.51 an hour as of May 2024. Entry-level and apprentice carpenters start around $18 to $22, while experienced and specialty carpenters earn $40 an hour or more.
What is the highest paying carpentry job?
Union foremen, industrial and heavy commercial carpenters, and specialists in formwork, finish carpentry, and pile driving pay the most. Pay is highest in Hawaii, Illinois, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area.