Trades · 25 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Carpenter (2024)

The median Carpenter salary is $80,950 in San Francisco, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Chicago, IL offers the best purchasing power at $71,305 adjusted.

$62,464

National Median

$80,950

Highest City

$48,400

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Francisco, CA	$80,950	$51,310 – $133,040	179.6	$45,072	14,360
2	San Jose, CA	$78,090	$49,710 – $130,570	195.8	$39,883	4,800
3	Seattle, WA	$76,760	$52,870 – $116,660	149.4	$51,379	15,210
4	Chicago, IL	$76,510	$41,090 – $120,970	107.3	$71,305	19,460
5	Minneapolis, MN	$75,710	$48,600 – $97,100	106.2	$71,290	10,040
6	Los Angeles, CA	$73,840	$45,790 – $117,940	166	$44,482	31,350
7	Boston, MA	$73,800	$47,820 – $121,940	152.1	$48,521	13,030
8	San Diego, CA	$73,690	$47,070 – $118,110	160.2	$45,999	9,690
9	New York, NY	$69,680	$44,200 – $125,280	187.2	$37,222	37,690
10	Portland, OR	$65,810	$43,400 – $104,330	130.1	$50,584	10,290
11	Detroit, MI	$65,060	$45,330 – $82,560	95.1	$68,412	9,000
12	Philadelphia, PA	$62,350	$42,740 – $106,850	118.4	$52,660	13,430
13	Denver, CO	$61,470	$41,750 – $75,600	112.8	$54,495	7,560
14	Washington, DC	$59,450	$43,620 – $84,890	152.8	$38,907	12,250
15	Salt Lake City, UT	$59,410	$40,670 – $74,450	101.4	$58,590	5,690
16	Phoenix, AZ	$59,030	$38,800 – $79,740	100.7	$58,620	14,480
17	Nashville, TN	$53,730	$37,320 – $64,820	100.3	$53,569	3,250
18	Atlanta, GA	$51,390	$34,390 – $63,330	99.2	$51,804	6,590
19	Charlotte, NC	$50,810	$37,220 – $71,270	96.7	$52,544	3,310
20	Austin, TX	$49,650	$37,630 – $63,520	103	$48,204	2,840
21	Raleigh, NC	$49,520	$24,490 – $65,620	99.8	$49,619	2,410
22	Tampa, FL	$49,170	$36,310 – $68,880	99.6	$49,367	5,370
23	Houston, TX	$48,910	$38,950 – $62,800	96.5	$50,684	9,520
24	Dallas, TX	$48,420	$35,940 – $62,850	104.1	$46,513	9,840
25	Miami, FL	$48,400	$38,080 – $68,040	123.1	$39,318	12,230

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Carpenter paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Chicago, IL	$71,305	$76,510	107.3
2	Minneapolis, MN	$71,290	$75,710	106.2
3	Detroit, MI	$68,412	$65,060	95.1
4	Phoenix, AZ	$58,620	$59,030	100.7
5	Salt Lake City, UT	$58,590	$59,410	101.4
6	Denver, CO	$54,495	$61,470	112.8
7	Nashville, TN	$53,569	$53,730	100.3
8	Philadelphia, PA	$52,660	$62,350	118.4
9	Charlotte, NC	$52,544	$50,810	96.7
10	Atlanta, GA	$51,804	$51,390	99.2
11	Seattle, WA	$51,379	$76,760	149.4
12	Houston, TX	$50,684	$48,910	96.5
13	Portland, OR	$50,584	$65,810	130.1
14	Raleigh, NC	$49,619	$49,520	99.8
15	Tampa, FL	$49,367	$49,170	99.6
16	Boston, MA	$48,521	$73,800	152.1
17	Austin, TX	$48,204	$49,650	103
18	Dallas, TX	$46,513	$48,420	104.1
19	San Diego, CA	$45,999	$73,690	160.2
20	San Francisco, CA	$45,072	$80,950	179.6
21	Los Angeles, CA	$44,482	$73,840	166
22	San Jose, CA	$39,883	$78,090	195.8
23	Miami, FL	$39,318	$48,400	123.1
24	Washington, DC	$38,907	$59,450	152.8
25	New York, NY	$37,222	$69,680	187.2

Frequently Asked Questions

San Francisco, CA pays the highest median Carpenter salary at $80,950. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Chicago, IL offers the most purchasing power at $71,305 adjusted.

The national median Carpenter salary is $62,464 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $48,400 to $80,950 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.