Carpenter salary in El Centro, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $74,340 a year, or $35.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $99,740. Across all of California, the median is $75,920, so El Centro pays 2% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.36/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 140
- After cost of living
- $78,110
- Median hourly pay
- $35.74/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +23%
- vs California median
- −2%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $44,420–$52,760$21.36–$25.37/hr | |
| Journeyman | $74,340$35.74/hr | |
| Top earners | $81,200–$99,740$39.04–$47.95/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How El Centro, CA compares
- El Centro ranks 13th of 25 California metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the El Centro area than nationally: 2.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.50 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $99,740, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,420: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in El Centro, CA
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in El Centro, CA?
- Carpenters in the El Centro, CA area earn a median of $74,340 a year, or $35.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $99,740.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in El Centro, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $35.74. The middle half earn between $25.37 and $39.04 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in El Centro, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.36 an hour ($44,420 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.37.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in El Centro, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,340 a year ($35.74 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $81,200–$99,740.
- Do carpenters make more in El Centro or San Francisco?
- San Francisco pays more: the median is $74,340 in El Centro and $89,200 in San Francisco, a 17% difference.
- How does El Centro pay compare with the rest of California?
- The El Centro median of $74,340 is 2% 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 20940 (El Centro, 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 (95.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures