Carpenter salary in California
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in California earn a median of $75,920 a year, or $36.50 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $119,950. California ranks 3rd of 51 states and DC for carpenter pay, at 25% more than the U.S. median of $60,580.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.83/hr
- Jobs in California
- 100,750
- After cost of living
- $68,570
- Median hourly pay
- $36.50/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +25%
- Rank among states
- 3rd of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,490–$59,740$22.83–$28.72/hr | |
| Journeyman | $75,920$36.50/hr | |
| Top earners | $95,830–$119,950$46.07–$57.67/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median carpenter wage in California rose 24.8%, from $60,850 in May 2021 to $75,920 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 4.5%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $60,850 | $29.25/hr |
| May 2022 | $64,120 | $30.83/hr |
| May 2023 | $68,380 | $32.87/hr |
| May 2024 | $74,820 | $35.97/hr |
| May 2025 | $75,920 | $36.50/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How California compares
- Carpenters are more concentrated in California than nationally: 5.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $119,950, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,490: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
- San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont$89,200
- Napa$80,590
- Santa Rosa–Petaluma$80,520
- San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara$80,190
- Santa Cruz–Watsonville$77,690
- San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles$77,220
- Vallejo$76,220
- Yuba City$76,100
See all California metro areas
- Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim$75,740
- Santa Maria–Santa Barbara$75,140
- Merced$74,760
- Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom$74,440
- El Centro$74,340
- Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura$74,060
- Modesto$73,730
- Hanford–Corcoran$73,250
- San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad$73,200
- Chico$72,290
- Redding$71,750
- Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario$70,880
- Stockton–Lodi$69,160
- Salinas$67,530
- Bakersfield–Delano$66,540
- Visalia$64,390
- Fresno$63,470
Rural California
- Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region$84,650
- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region$74,800
- North Coast Region$73,280
Other trades in California
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in California?
- Carpenters in California earn a median of $75,920 a year, or $36.50 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $119,950.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in California?
- The median hourly wage is $36.50. The middle half earn between $28.72 and $46.07 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in California?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.83 an hour ($47,490 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.72.
- Has carpenter pay gone up in California?
- The median carpenter wage in California rose 24.8%, from $60,850 in May 2021 to $75,920 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 4.5%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in California?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $75,920 a year ($36.50 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $95,830–$119,950.
- Where in California do carpenters earn the most?
- Among California metro areas, San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont has the highest median at $89,200 a year, and Fresno the lowest at $63,470.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2031 (Carpenters), area code 06. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed carpenters and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (110.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures