How much do carpenters make an hour in Chico, CA?

The median hourly wage is $34.75. The middle half earn between $24.79 and $38.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Chico, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.73 an hour ($47,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.79.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Chico, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $72,290 a year ($34.75 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $79,990–$116,130.

Do carpenters make more in Chico or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $72,290 in Chico and $89,200 in San Francisco, a 19% difference.

How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?

The Chico median of $72,290 is 5% less than the California median of $75,920.

Carpenter salary in Chico, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $72,290 a year, or $34.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $116,130. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $75,920; Chico is 5% below it.

Median yearly pay$72,290

Bottom 10% under$47,290Top 10% over$116,130

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.73/hr
Jobs in this area: 390
After cost of living: $71,430
Median hourly pay: $34.75/hr
vs U.S. median: +19%
vs California median: −5%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 17020, Chico, CA). Excludes self-employed carpenters. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice	$47,290–$51,570$22.73–$24.79/hr
Journeyman	$72,290$34.75/hr
Top earners	$79,990–$116,130$38.46–$55.83/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Chico, CA compares

Chico ranks 18th of 25 California metro areas for carpenter pay.
Carpenters are more concentrated in the Chico area than nationally: 5.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $116,130, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,290: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Chico, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Diesel mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Chico, CA?: Carpenters in the Chico, CA area earn a median of $72,290 a year, or $34.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $116,130.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Chico, CA?: The median hourly wage is $34.75. The middle half earn between $24.79 and $38.46 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Chico, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.73 an hour ($47,290 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.79.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Chico, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $72,290 a year ($34.75 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $79,990–$116,130.
Do carpenters make more in Chico or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $72,290 in Chico and $89,200 in San Francisco, a 19% difference.
How does Chico pay compare with the rest of California?: The Chico median of $72,290 is 5% less than the California median of $75,920.

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 17020 (Chico, CA). 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 (101.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures