Carpenter salary in Boulder, CO
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $59,760 a year, or $28.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,310 a year. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $62,830; Boulder is 5% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $20.51/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 540
- After cost of living
- $56,810
- Median hourly pay
- $28.73/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −1%
- vs Colorado median
- −5%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $42,670–$49,750$20.51–$23.92/hr | |
| Journeyman | $59,760$28.73/hr | |
| Top earners | $73,840–$81,310$35.50–$39.09/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Boulder, CO compares
- Boulder ranks 3rd of 7 Colorado metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the Boulder area than nationally: 2.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.65 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $81,310, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Colorado metro areas
Other trades in Boulder, CO
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Boulder, CO?
- Carpenters in the Boulder, CO area earn a median of $59,760 a year, or $28.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,310 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Boulder, CO?
- The median hourly wage is $28.73. The middle half earn between $23.92 and $35.50 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Boulder, CO?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.51 an hour ($42,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.92.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Boulder, CO?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $59,760 a year ($28.73 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $73,840–$81,310.
- Do carpenters make more in Boulder or Denver?
- Denver pays more: the median is $59,760 in Boulder and $64,910 in Denver, a 8% difference.
- How does Boulder pay compare with the rest of Colorado?
- The Boulder median of $59,760 is 5% less than the Colorado median of $62,830.
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 14500 (Boulder, CO). 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 (105.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures