Carpenter salary in Chicago, IL-IN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL-IN area earn a median of $80,440 a year, or $38.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $118,450. That's 2% more than the Illinois median of $79,000.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.82/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 14,220
- After cost of living
- $77,650
- Median hourly pay
- $38.68/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +33%
- vs Illinois median
- +2%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $41,220–$58,770$19.82–$28.26/hr | |
| Journeyman | $80,440$38.68/hr | |
| Top earners | $113,970–$118,450$54.79–$56.95/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Chicago, IL-IN compares
- Chicago ranks 3rd of 12 Illinois metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the Chicago area than nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.73 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $118,450, is 2.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,220: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Illinois metro areas
Other trades in Chicago, IL-IN
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Chicago, IL-IN?
- Carpenters in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin, IL-IN area earn a median of $80,440 a year, or $38.68 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $118,450.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Chicago, IL-IN?
- The median hourly wage is $38.68. The middle half earn between $28.26 and $54.79 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Chicago, IL-IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.82 an hour ($41,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.26.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Chicago, IL-IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $80,440 a year ($38.68 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $113,970–$118,450.
- Do carpenters make more in Chicago or Peoria?
- Chicago pays more: the median is $80,440 in Chicago and $75,280 in Peoria, a 7% difference.
- How does Chicago pay compare with the rest of Illinois?
- The Chicago median of $80,440 is 2% more than the Illinois median of $79,000.
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 16980 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN). 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 (103.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures