Pay by state · 54 areas
Carpenter Salary by State (2026)
Carpenters earn the most in Hawaii at $85,280 a year and the least in Oklahoma at $46,910 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $60,580. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $85,280Hawaii
- National median
- $60,580BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $46,910Oklahoma
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for carpenters
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Illinois comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Hawaii$85,280
- 2Illinois$79,000
- 3California$75,920
- 4Massachusetts$75,200
- 5Washington$74,190
Lowest median pay
- 1Oklahoma$46,910
- 2Arkansas$47,760
- 3South Dakota$48,140
- 4Alabama$48,220
- 5Mississippi$48,650
All states
Carpenter salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of carpenters OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HIHawaii | $85,280 | $66,380 | $110,980 | 4,810 | $77,562 |
| 2 | ILIllinois | $79,000 | $56,160 | $106,950 | 19,570 | $79,033 |
| 3 | CACalifornia | $75,920 | $59,740 | $95,830 | 100,750 | $68,569 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $75,200 | $60,770 | $97,520 | 18,540 | $71,106 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $74,190 | $60,630 | $92,660 | 26,960 | $69,328 |
| 6 | AKAlaska | $73,860 | $59,770 | $94,150 | 2,560 | $72,158 |
| 7 | NYNew York | $72,330 | $57,330 | $89,820 | 40,630 | $67,021 |
| 8 | MNMinnesota | $64,930 | $55,240 | $84,410 | 14,930 | $65,838 |
| 9 | CTConnecticut | $64,060 | $57,540 | $80,820 | 5,160 | $61,828 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $64,010 | $51,220 | $80,430 | 14,230 | $58,830 |
| 11 | MDMaryland | $62,960 | $52,220 | $76,810 | 9,770 | $59,985 |
| 12 | INIndiana | $62,870 | $49,940 | $76,850 | 15,240 | $67,364 |
| 13 | OROregon | $62,870 | $50,450 | $93,380 | 15,110 | $60,826 |
| 14 | COColorado | $62,830 | $51,940 | $74,430 | 12,740 | $60,969 |
| 15 | VTVermont | $62,400 | $52,260 | $64,420 | 3,080 | $63,701 |
| 16 | NVNevada | $62,380 | $50,440 | $81,400 | 12,700 | $62,393 |
| 17 | MEMaine | $62,160 | $52,960 | $72,800 | 5,170 | $64,049 |
| 18 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $61,710 | $57,160 | $75,250 | 1,540 | $56,151 |
| 19 | MIMichigan | $61,680 | $49,500 | $72,990 | 18,590 | $64,105 |
| 20 | WIWisconsin | $61,660 | $49,750 | $79,310 | 13,880 | $65,530 |
| 21 | NHNew Hampshire | $61,200 | $50,170 | $73,760 | 3,760 | $58,753 |
| 22 | MOMissouri | $60,840 | $47,520 | $80,570 | 14,410 | $66,992 |
| 23 | RIRhode Island | $60,840 | $52,300 | $75,750 | 2,580 | $59,484 |
| 24 | OHOhio | $60,810 | $48,720 | $75,860 | 18,450 | $65,546 |
| 25 | NMNew Mexico | $59,720 | $47,150 | $63,310 | 3,630 | $64,764 |
| 26 | PAPennsylvania | $59,370 | $47,850 | $74,700 | 30,630 | $60,847 |
| 27 | DEDelaware | $59,200 | $48,560 | $75,380 | 2,250 | $59,314 |
| 28 | MTMontana | $58,820 | $49,590 | $67,530 | 4,030 | $62,148 |
| 29 | AZArizona | $58,580 | $47,890 | $69,820 | 16,230 | $58,186 |
| 30 | NDNorth Dakota | $57,890 | $48,820 | $63,550 | 2,360 | $65,075 |
| 31 | IAIowa | $57,710 | $47,640 | $65,910 | 5,770 | $65,757 |
| 32 | KSKansas | $56,960 | $47,830 | $66,730 | 5,210 | $63,241 |
| 33 | WYWyoming | $56,850 | $48,760 | $61,950 | 2,260 | $61,333 |
| 34 | VAVirginia | $55,690 | $46,460 | $61,340 | 20,460 | $55,082 |
| 35 | KYKentucky | $52,680 | $45,940 | $61,260 | 8,540 | $58,430 |
| 36 | UTUtah | $52,360 | $45,830 | $62,810 | 15,220 | $52,962 |
| 37 | IDIdaho | $52,000 | $45,250 | $62,920 | 8,380 | $54,454 |
| 38 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $51,730 | $46,100 | $61,680 | 270 | N/A |
| 39 | TNTennessee | $50,830 | $46,520 | $59,900 | 8,200 | $55,328 |
| 40 | SCSouth Carolina | $50,670 | $43,620 | $62,610 | 6,950 | $54,049 |
| 41 | NENebraska | $50,320 | $45,270 | $62,580 | 5,710 | $55,847 |
| 42 | LALouisiana | $49,920 | $43,730 | $59,740 | 8,990 | $56,594 |
| 43 | FLFlorida | $49,870 | $44,540 | $59,880 | 39,300 | $48,224 |
| 44 | GAGeorgia | $49,350 | $42,210 | $58,250 | 9,190 | $51,250 |
| 45 | NCNorth Carolina | $49,100 | $42,150 | $58,810 | 13,480 | $52,054 |
| 46 | TXTexas | $48,900 | $44,690 | $57,780 | 33,540 | $50,383 |
| 47 | WVWest Virginia | $48,710 | $38,180 | $60,190 | 3,670 | $54,426 |
| 48 | MSMississippi | $48,650 | $38,420 | $52,480 | 2,950 | $55,950 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $48,220 | $40,410 | $56,390 | 5,560 | $54,288 |
| 50 | SDSouth Dakota | $48,140 | $42,190 | $60,060 | 4,560 | $54,343 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $47,760 | $41,460 | $57,510 | 4,030 | $54,936 |
| 52 | OKOklahoma | $46,910 | $40,280 | $53,510 | 3,820 | $53,402 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $36,910 | $35,450 | $45,280 | 1,510 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $30,530 | $27,710 | $34,600 | 3,180 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For carpenters, that changes the ranking: Hawaii leads on raw pay at $85,280, while Illinois leads once prices are taken into account at $79,033.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Carpenter pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays carpenters the most?
Hawaii reports the highest median wage for carpenters at $85,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Illinois ($79,000) and California ($75,920).
Which state pays carpenters the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Oklahoma reports the lowest median for carpenters at $46,910 a year, $38,370 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $51,730, Guam reports $36,910 and Puerto Rico reports $30,530.
Is the highest-paying state the best for carpenters after cost of living?
Not on this data. Hawaii pays the most on paper ($85,280) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($77,562). Illinois leads after that adjustment at $79,033, from a raw median of $79,000. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.