Carpenter salary in Denver, CO
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO area earn a median of $64,910 a year, or $31.21 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $89,990 a year. That's 3% more than the Colorado median of $62,830.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.15/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 7,250
- After cost of living
- $61,360
- Median hourly pay
- $31.21/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +7%
- vs Colorado median
- +3%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $48,160–$57,610$23.15–$27.70/hr | |
| Journeyman | $64,910$31.21/hr | |
| Top earners | $75,160–$89,990$36.14–$43.26/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Denver, CO compares
- Denver has the highest carpenter median of the 7 Colorado metro areas with published pay.
- Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Denver area as nationally: 4.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $89,990, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,160: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Colorado metro areas
Other trades in Denver, CO
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Denver, CO?
- Carpenters in the Denver–Aurora–Centennial, CO area earn a median of $64,910 a year, or $31.21 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $89,990 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Denver, CO?
- The median hourly wage is $31.21. The middle half earn between $27.70 and $36.14 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Denver, CO?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.15 an hour ($48,160 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.70.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Denver, CO?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $64,910 a year ($31.21 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $75,160–$89,990.
- Do carpenters make more in Denver or Grand Junction?
- Denver pays more: the median is $64,910 in Denver and $60,230 in Grand Junction, a 8% difference.
- How does Denver pay compare with the rest of Colorado?
- The Denver median of $64,910 is 3% more 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 19740 (Denver-Aurora-Centennial, 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 (105.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures