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

The median hourly wage is $35.94. The middle half earn between $27.11 and $39.05 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Merced, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.64 an hour ($45,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.11.

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

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,760 a year ($35.94 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $81,230–$106,750.

Do carpenters make more in Merced or San Francisco?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $74,760 in Merced and $89,200 in San Francisco, a 16% difference.

How does Merced pay compare with the rest of California?

The Merced median of $74,760 is 2% less than the California median of $75,920.

Carpenter salary in Merced, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Merced, CA area earn a median of $74,760 a year, or $35.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $106,750. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $75,920; Merced is 2% below it.

Median yearly pay$74,760

Bottom 10% under$45,010Top 10% over$106,750

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.64/hr
Jobs in this area: 350
After cost of living: $76,070
Median hourly pay: $35.94/hr
vs U.S. median: +23%
vs California median: −2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 32900, Merced, 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	$45,010–$56,390$21.64–$27.11/hr
Journeyman	$74,760$35.94/hr
Top earners	$81,230–$106,750$39.05–$51.32/hr

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

How Merced, CA compares

Merced ranks 11th of 25 California metro areas for carpenter pay.
Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Merced area as nationally: 4.3 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $106,750, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in Merced, CA

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

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Merced, CA?: Carpenters in the Merced, CA area earn a median of $74,760 a year, or $35.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $106,750.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Merced, CA?: The median hourly wage is $35.94. The middle half earn between $27.11 and $39.05 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Merced, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.64 an hour ($45,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.11.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Merced, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,760 a year ($35.94 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $81,230–$106,750.
Do carpenters make more in Merced or San Francisco?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $74,760 in Merced and $89,200 in San Francisco, a 16% difference.
How does Merced pay compare with the rest of California?: The Merced median of $74,760 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 32900 (Merced, 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 (98.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures