How much do carpenters make an hour in Detroit, MI?

The median hourly wage is $31.64. The middle half earn between $25.05 and $38.49 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.86 an hour ($47,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.05.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $65,810 a year ($31.64 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $80,050–$82,790.

Do carpenters make more in Detroit or Ann Arbor?

Detroit pays more: the median is $65,810 in Detroit and $65,170 in Ann Arbor, a 1% difference.

How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Detroit median of $65,810 is 7% more than the Michigan median of $61,680.

Carpenter salary in Detroit, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $65,810 a year, or $31.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $82,790. That's 7% more than the Michigan median of $61,680.

Median yearly pay$65,810

Bottom 10% under$47,560Top 10% over$82,790

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.86/hr
Jobs in this area: 7,610
After cost of living: $65,610
Median hourly pay: $31.64/hr
vs U.S. median: +9%
vs Michigan median: +7%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19820, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). Excludes self-employed carpenters. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice	$47,560–$52,090$22.86–$25.05/hr
Journeyman	$65,810$31.64/hr
Top earners	$80,050–$82,790$38.49–$39.80/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Detroit, MI compares

Detroit has the highest carpenter median of the 16 Michigan metro areas with published pay.
Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Detroit area as nationally: 4.0 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $82,790, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,560: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Detroit, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Detroit, MI?: Carpenters in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $65,810 a year, or $31.64 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $82,790.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Detroit, MI?: The median hourly wage is $31.64. The middle half earn between $25.05 and $38.49 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.86 an hour ($47,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.05.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $65,810 a year ($31.64 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $80,050–$82,790.
Do carpenters make more in Detroit or Ann Arbor?: Detroit pays more: the median is $65,810 in Detroit and $65,170 in Ann Arbor, a 1% difference.
How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Detroit median of $65,810 is 7% more than the Michigan median of $61,680.

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 19820 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). 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 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures