Carpenter salary in Ames, IA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Ames, IA area earn a median of $55,640 a year, or $26.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $66,090. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $57,710; Ames is 4% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.81/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 210
- After cost of living
- $62,640
- Median hourly pay
- $26.75/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −8%
- vs Iowa median
- −4%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $39,110–$47,890$18.81–$23.02/hr | |
| Journeyman | $55,640$26.75/hr | |
| Top earners | $61,610–$66,090$29.62–$31.77/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Ames, IA compares
- Ames ranks 6th of 9 Iowa metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the Ames area than nationally: 3.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.87 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $66,090, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $39,110: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Iowa metro areas
Other trades in Ames, IA
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Ames, IA?
- Carpenters in the Ames, IA area earn a median of $55,640 a year, or $26.75 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $66,090.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Ames, IA?
- The median hourly wage is $26.75. The middle half earn between $23.02 and $29.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Ames, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.81 an hour ($39,110 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.02.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Ames, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $55,640 a year ($26.75 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $61,610–$66,090.
- Do carpenters make more in Ames or Des Moines?
- Des Moines pays more: the median is $55,640 in Ames and $61,360 in Des Moines, a 9% difference.
- How does Ames pay compare with the rest of Iowa?
- The Ames median of $55,640 is 4% less than the Iowa median of $57,710.
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 11180 (Ames, IA). 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 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures