Carpenter salary in Des Moines, IA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA area earn a median of $61,360 a year, or $29.50 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,670. Across all of Iowa, the median is $57,710, so Des Moines pays 6% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.42/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,810
- After cost of living
- $66,910
- Median hourly pay
- $29.50/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +1%
- vs Iowa median
- +6%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $44,560–$49,990$21.42–$24.03/hr | |
| Journeyman | $61,360$29.50/hr | |
| Top earners | $74,220–$76,670$35.68–$36.86/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Des Moines, IA compares
- Des Moines has the highest carpenter median of the 9 Iowa metro areas with published pay.
- Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Des Moines area as nationally: 4.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,670, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,560: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Iowa metro areas
Other trades in Des Moines, IA
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Des Moines, IA?
- Carpenters in the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA area earn a median of $61,360 a year, or $29.50 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $76,670.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Des Moines, IA?
- The median hourly wage is $29.50. The middle half earn between $24.03 and $35.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Des Moines, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.42 an hour ($44,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.03.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Des Moines, IA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,360 a year ($29.50 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $74,220–$76,670.
- Do carpenters make more in Des Moines or Davenport?
- Des Moines pays more: the median is $61,360 in Des Moines and $60,440 in Davenport, a 2% difference.
- How does Des Moines pay compare with the rest of Iowa?
- The Des Moines median of $61,360 is 6% more 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 19780 (Des Moines-West Des Moines, 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 (91.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures