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Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025

Carpenter Salary in Dallas, TX

Trades · SOC 47-2031 · COL Index 104.1

Carpenters in Dallas, TX earn a median salary of $48,740 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $36,440 to $63,880. The mean is $50,240 across approximately 9,480 workers. Adjusted for Dallas, TX's cost-of-living index of 104.1, the median equates to $46,820 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.

Carpenter in Dallas, TX pays below the national median: $48,740 locally versus $60,398. The discount usually reflects either lower cost-of-living, smaller local industry concentration, or weaker labor demand.

Cost-of-living in Dallas, TX sits near the national baseline (index 104.1), so the unadjusted $48,740 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $41,360, $48,740, $56,310, $63,880. 9,480 Carpenter workers are documented in Dallas, TX per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.

$48,740
Median Salary
$50,240
Mean Salary
$46,820
COL-Adjusted
9,480
Employment

Salary Distribution

Percentile Breakdown

PercentileSalaryCOL-Adjusted
10th Percentile (Entry Level)$36,440$35,005
25th Percentile$41,360$39,731
50th Percentile (Median)$48,740$46,820
75th Percentile$56,310$54,092
90th Percentile (Top Earners)$63,880$61,364

What These Numbers Tell You

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Carpenters in Dallas, TX is relatively tight (1.8×), suggesting pay is largely standardized — most workers earn within a fairly narrow band of the median $48,740. Roles with this distribution tend to have less negotiation leverage at the top end, but also less risk of underpayment at the bottom.

Dallas, TX's cost-of-living index of 104.1 sits close to the U.S. average — $48,740 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.

Dallas, TX ranks #68 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Carpenter pay — in the lower half nationally (97th percentile). Lower nominal pay here is often offset by a lower cost of living; check the COL-adjusted figure on this page for an apples-to-apples comparison.

How to Use This in Negotiation

The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $56,310 for Carpenters in Dallas, TX — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($63,880) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.

For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($41,360$48,740) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($48,740$56,310) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($56,310$63,880).

For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.

How This Salary Is Calculated

Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Dallas, TX percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 47-2031 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Carpenter salary in Dallas, TX?

Carpenters in Dallas, TX earn a median salary of $48,740 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $50,240 across roughly 9,480 workers in this metro.

What is the salary range for Carpenters in Dallas, TX?

Pay ranges from $36,440 at the 10th percentile to $63,880 at the 90th percentile — a $27,440 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($41,360 to $56,310) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.

Is $48,740 a good Carpenter salary in Dallas, TX?

$48,740 is the BLS median — half of Carpenters in Dallas, TX earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($41,360), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($56,310). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $46,820.

How does Carpenter pay in Dallas, TX compare to other metros?

Dallas, TX ranks #68 of 70 BLS-tracked metros for Carpenter median pay. Nominal pay is in the lower half of U.S. metros, though the cost of living usually offsets at least part of that gap.

Where does this Carpenter salary data come from?

Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Dallas, TX MSA, SOC 47-2031, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."

Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 9,480 Carpenters tracked in Dallas, TX.