Median pay for carpenters runs from $29,720 in Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area to $95,280 in Kankakee — a 3.21× range across 524 metropolitan areas. The national median of $60,580 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of carpenters earn below $40,410 and ten per cent above $99,910 — a 2.47× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 65%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Kankakee (IL) leads and Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area () trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kankakee IL | $95,280 | $45.81 | 0.64 | 120 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $94,310 | $45.34 | 1.62 | 3,120 |
| Michigan City-La Porte IN | $91,970 | $44.22 | 1.46 | 260 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $89,200 | $42.89 | 1.37 | 14,010 |
| Decatur IL | $87,220 | $41.93 | 0.9 | 180 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $84,970 | $40.85 | 1.79 | 280 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $84,650 | $40.70 | 1.47 | 400 |
| Oshkosh-Neenah WI | $84,430 | $40.59 | 1.6 | 650 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $82,110 | $39.47 | 2.19 | 700 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $80,750 | $38.82 | 2.19 | 990 |
| Napa CA | $80,590 | $38.75 | 1.95 | 650 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $80,520 | $38.71 | 2.43 | 2,150 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $80,440 | $38.68 | 0.73 | 14,220 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $80,190 | $38.55 | 0.91 | 4,460 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $77,690 | $37.35 | 1.65 | 700 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | $77,220 | $37.12 | 1.56 | 820 |
| Springfield IL | $76,970 | $37.01 | 0.67 | 290 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $76,410 | $36.74 | 1.67 | 14,970 |
| Vallejo CA | $76,220 | $36.64 | 1.06 | 660 |
| Yuba City CA | $76,100 | $36.59 | 1.02 | 220 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $75,740 | $36.41 | 1.13 | 30,600 |
| Springfield MA | $75,520 | $36.31 | 0.76 | 660 |
| Bloomington IL | $75,470 | $36.28 | 0.44 | 170 |
| Janesville-Beloit WI | $75,390 | $36.24 | 1.2 | 360 |
| Peoria IL | $75,280 | $36.19 | 1.09 | 780 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $29,720 | $14.29 | 0.95 | 120 |
| Aguadilla PR | $29,750 | $14.30 | 0.94 | 200 |
| Arecibo PR | $29,970 | $14.41 | 0.74 | 110 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $30,530 | $14.68 | 0.79 | 2,350 |
| Ponce PR | $31,200 | $15.00 | 0.88 | 240 |
| Mayaguez PR | $33,160 | $15.94 | 0.58 | 130 |
| Guayama PR | $33,410 | $16.06 | 0.56 | 30 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $35,640 | $17.13 | 0.37 | 250 |
| Valdosta GA | $37,840 | $18.19 | 0.18 | 40 |
| Albany GA | $38,400 | $18.46 | 0.31 | 80 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area | $55,720 | $26.79 | 3.58 | 1,040 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $70,580 | $33.93 | 3.15 | 1,280 |
| Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $61,940 | $29.78 | 3.14 | 1,210 |
| Bozeman MT | $62,450 | $30.02 | 2.9 | 900 |
| West South Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $45,740 | $21.99 | 2.88 | 780 |
| Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area | $67,000 | $32.21 | 2.86 | 510 |
| St. George UT | $47,060 | $22.63 | 2.85 | 1,110 |
| Northeast Maine nonmetropolitan area | $62,470 | $30.04 | 2.83 | 770 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $59,080 | $28.41 | 2.77 | 1,210 |
| Rapid City SD | $48,640 | $23.39 | 2.73 | 870 |
| Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area | $61,060 | $29.36 | 2.6 | 840 |
| Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $62,650 | $30.12 | 2.58 | 950 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $74,300 | $35.72 | 0.84 | 34,210 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $75,740 | $36.41 | 1.13 | 30,600 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $76,410 | $36.74 | 1.67 | 14,970 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $61,780 | $29.70 | 1.14 | 14,260 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $80,440 | $38.68 | 0.73 | 14,220 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $89,200 | $42.89 | 1.37 | 14,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $60,800 | $29.23 | 0.98 | 13,280 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | $70,880 | $34.08 | 1.75 | 12,970 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $75,210 | $36.16 | 1.09 | 12,720 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $60,320 | $29.00 | 1.24 | 12,710 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $74,060 | $35.61 | 1.21 | 10,200 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $51,570 | $24.79 | 0.83 | 10,100 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 47-2031. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 524 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.