How much do carpenters make an hour in San Francisco, CA?

The median hourly wage is $42.89. The middle half earn between $30.45 and $48.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in San Francisco, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.38 an hour ($59,020 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.45.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in San Francisco, CA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $89,200 a year ($42.89 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $100,380–$132,760.

Do carpenters make more in San Francisco or San Jose?

San Francisco pays more: the median is $89,200 in San Francisco and $80,190 in San Jose, a 11% difference.

How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?

The San Francisco median of $89,200 is 17% more than the California median of $75,920.

Carpenter salary in San Francisco, CA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $89,200 a year, or $42.89 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $132,760. That's 17% more than the California median of $75,920.

Median yearly pay$89,200

Bottom 10% under$59,020Top 10% over$132,760

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $28.38/hr
Jobs in this area: 14,010
After cost of living: $77,150
Median hourly pay: $42.89/hr
vs U.S. median: +47%
vs California median: +17%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 41860, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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	$59,020–$63,340$28.38–$30.45/hr
Journeyman	$89,200$42.89/hr
Top earners	$100,380–$132,760$48.26–$63.83/hr

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

How San Francisco, CA compares

San Francisco has the highest carpenter median of the 25 California metro areas with published pay.
Carpenters are more concentrated in the San Francisco area than nationally: 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $132,760, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $59,020: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other California metro areas

Other trades in San Francisco, CA

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright Boilermaker

Questions

How much do carpenters make in San Francisco, CA?: Carpenters in the San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area earn a median of $89,200 a year, or $42.89 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $132,760.
How much do carpenters make an hour in San Francisco, CA?: The median hourly wage is $42.89. The middle half earn between $30.45 and $48.26 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in San Francisco, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.38 an hour ($59,020 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $30.45.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in San Francisco, CA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $89,200 a year ($42.89 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $100,380–$132,760.
Do carpenters make more in San Francisco or San Jose?: San Francisco pays more: the median is $89,200 in San Francisco and $80,190 in San Jose, a 11% difference.
How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of California?: The San Francisco median of $89,200 is 17% more 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 41860 (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 (115.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures