Salary & Licensing · Updated May 2026

Carpenter salary by state

Name: U.S. Carpenter Wages by State (median and 10th–90th percentile)
Creator: JobStack
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

What carpenters earn in every state — median pay and the real 10th-to-90th percentile range — plus licensing (carpentry is rarely licensed individually), contractor-license thresholds, taxes, and gotchas.

Key facts

National median wage: $60,580 (mean $65,630); range from under $40,410 (10th) to over $99,910 (90th) — BLS, May 2025.
Highest-paying: Hawaii, Illinois, California, Massachusetts, and Washington (medians ~$74,000–$85,000). Lowest: Oklahoma, Arkansas, and South Dakota (~$47,000–$48,000).
Rarely licensed individually. Only ~22 states require any carpentry-related license, and most regulate the contractor, not the employee — no journeyman/master system.
A contractor license usually kicks in above a job-value threshold (e.g., $500 in California).

National pay range

A single figure hides a wide spread. Nationally, carpenter pay ranges like this (BLS, May 2025):

Percentile	Annual wage
Bottom 10%	$40,410
25th percentile	$48,510
Median (50th)	$60,580
75th percentile	$76,830
Top 10%	$99,910

Mean (average) wage: $65,630. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (national).

Carpenter salary by state

Median annual wage with the actual 10th–90th percentile range, highest to lowest. National median: $60,580.

Rank	State	Median	10th–90th range
1	Hawaii	$85,280	$52,760 – $115,900
2	Illinois	$79,000	$39,890 – $117,660
3	California	$75,920	$47,490 – $119,950
4	Massachusetts	$75,200	$48,230 – $122,880
5	Washington	$74,190	$52,330 – $119,920
6	Alaska	$73,860	$49,060 – $151,530
7	New York	$72,330	$46,860 – $122,400
8	Minnesota	$64,930	$46,590 – $99,130
9	Connecticut	$64,060	$49,140 – $88,000
10	New Jersey	$64,010	$43,680 – $121,490
11	Maryland	$62,960	$43,930 – $94,970
12	Indiana	$62,870	$45,510 – $90,700
13	Oregon	$62,870	$43,800 – $106,360
14	Colorado	$62,830	$47,020 – $90,740
15	Vermont	$62,400	$47,840 – $76,850
16	Nevada	$62,380	$41,670 – $102,360
17	Maine	$62,160	$47,130 – $78,240
18	District of Columbia	$61,710	$47,840 – $80,720
19	Michigan	$61,680	$44,550 – $81,860
20	Wisconsin	$61,660	$45,110 – $93,040
21	New Hampshire	$61,200	$45,500 – $92,410
22	Missouri	$60,840	$38,700 – $96,310
23	Rhode Island	$60,840	$47,840 – $89,670
24	Ohio	$60,810	$42,290 – $81,140
25	New Mexico	$59,720	$40,100 – $77,790
26	Pennsylvania	$59,370	$42,970 – $92,110
27	Delaware	$59,200	$45,160 – $81,320
28	Montana	$58,820	$43,010 – $77,140
29	Arizona	$58,580	$38,830 – $75,950
30	North Dakota	$57,890	$43,860 – $76,760
31	Iowa	$57,710	$39,040 – $76,540
32	Kansas	$56,960	$38,860 – $88,090
33	Wyoming	$56,850	$44,710 – $80,800
34	Virginia	$55,690	$38,230 – $74,250
35	Kentucky	$52,680	$36,760 – $72,960
36	Utah	$52,360	$36,560 – $75,170
37	Idaho	$52,000	$36,850 – $75,710
38	Tennessee	$50,830	$37,460 – $66,450
39	South Carolina	$50,670	$36,010 – $79,040
40	Nebraska	$50,320	$38,920 – $72,800
41	Louisiana	$49,920	$34,100 – $69,310
42	Florida	$49,870	$36,910 – $69,950
43	Georgia	$49,350	$34,890 – $63,470
44	North Carolina	$49,100	$35,620 – $63,160
45	Texas	$48,900	$36,980 – $65,920
46	West Virginia	$48,710	$35,900 – $70,060
47	Mississippi	$48,650	$34,670 – $63,440
48	Alabama	$48,220	$34,430 – $63,140
49	South Dakota	$48,140	$37,720 – $65,890
50	Arkansas	$47,760	$36,400 – $70,550
51	Oklahoma	$46,910	$34,670 – $64,940

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (SOC 47-2031, carpenters), via the BLS public API. Actual per-state median and 10th/90th-percentile wages; not cost-of-living adjusted; self-employed carpenters excluded.

Licensing requirements by state

Carpentry is one of the least-licensed trades. Only about 22 states require any carpentry-related license, and most of those regulate the contractor/business — not an individual carpenter working as an employee. There's generally no journeyman/master carpenter system like electrical or plumbing.

What usually matters is a general contractor license once a job exceeds a dollar threshold — for example, California requires one for any job over $500. States like Texas and Colorado have no state carpentry license and defer to local rules. Where a license is required, expect roughly four years of verifiable experience, a trade/business exam, and a surety bond. Always confirm with your state contractor board and local government.

Do you charge sales tax on carpentry work?

Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default — labor is generally taxable.
New York taxes repair, maintenance, and installation work; Texas exempts residential real-property repair labor but taxes commercial in full.
Many states tax repairs but exempt real-property improvements (the contractor pays tax on materials instead).

General information, not tax advice. Confirm with your state revenue department.

Other gotchas

Even where no carpentry license exists, you typically need a contractor license to pull permits on structural work.
Work on pre-1978 homes that disturbs paint can trigger the federal EPA RRP lead rule.
Liability insurance and, for employees, workers' comp are usually required to bid jobs.
"No state license" still means local rules apply — they vary city to city.

Salary vs. what you can charge

These are employee wages — BLS doesn't survey the self-employed. If you run your own shop, your take-home depends on what you charge and how many hours you bill. Work out the rate you need with the free hourly rate calculator.

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Carpenter salary & licensing FAQ

How much do carpenters make?

The national median wage for carpenters is $60,580 a year (mean $65,630), per BLS May 2025 data. The lowest 10% earn under $40,410 and the top 10% earn over $99,910. State medians range from about $47,000 to over $85,000.

Which states pay carpenters the most?

By median wage, the highest-paying are Hawaii (~$85,280), Illinois (~$79,000), California (~$75,920), Massachusetts (~$75,200), and Washington (~$74,190) — largely high-cost-of-living and strong-union states.

Which states pay carpenters the least?

The lowest median wages are in Oklahoma (~$46,910), Arkansas (~$47,760), South Dakota (~$48,140), Alabama (~$48,220), and Mississippi (~$48,650).

Do you need a license to be a carpenter?

Usually not as an individual. Carpentry is one of the least-licensed trades — only about 22 states require any carpentry-related license, and most regulate the contractor/business, not an employee carpenter. There's generally no journeyman/master carpenter system. What often applies is a general contractor license once a job exceeds a dollar threshold (e.g., California requires one for any job over $500). Texas and Colorado have no state carpentry license, leaving it to local rules.

Do carpenters charge sales tax on their work?

It depends on the state and job. Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default; many states tax repairs but exempt real-property improvements. This isn't tax advice — confirm with your state revenue department.

Methodology & sources

Wage figures — national and per-state median, 10th, and 90th percentiles — are from the BLS OEWS program, May 2025, for SOC 47-2031, via the BLS public API. Not cost-of-living adjusted; self-employed excluded. Licensing details are compiled from state contractor boards and industry guides; tax treatment from state revenue departments. Verify with the relevant board and revenue department. Not legal or tax advice.

More: salary by state for other trades, trade wage benchmarks, and JobStack by trade. Free to cite with attribution to JobStack.