How much do carpenters make an hour in Traverse City, MI?

The median hourly wage is $28.47. The middle half earn between $22.71 and $30.60 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Traverse City, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.01 an hour ($43,700 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.71.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Traverse City, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $59,230 a year ($28.47 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $63,650–$70,720.

Do carpenters make more in Traverse City or Detroit?

Detroit pays more: the median is $59,230 in Traverse City and $65,810 in Detroit, a 10% difference.

How does Traverse City pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Traverse City median of $59,230 is 4% less than the Michigan median of $61,680.

Carpenter salary in Traverse City, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Traverse City, MI area earn a median of $59,230 a year, or $28.47 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $70,720. Across all of Michigan, the median is $61,680, so Traverse City pays 4% less than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$59,230

Bottom 10% under$43,700Top 10% over$70,720

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.01/hr
Jobs in this area: 420
After cost of living: $63,430
Median hourly pay: $28.47/hr
vs U.S. median: −2%
vs Michigan median: −4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45900, Traverse City, 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	$43,700–$47,230$21.01–$22.71/hr
Journeyman	$59,230$28.47/hr
Top earners	$63,650–$70,720$30.60–$34.00/hr

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

How Traverse City, MI compares

Traverse City ranks 11th of 16 Michigan metro areas for carpenter pay.
Carpenters are more concentrated in the Traverse City area than nationally: 6.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $70,720, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $43,700: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Traverse City, MI

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

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Traverse City, MI?: Carpenters in the Traverse City, MI area earn a median of $59,230 a year, or $28.47 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $70,720.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Traverse City, MI?: The median hourly wage is $28.47. The middle half earn between $22.71 and $30.60 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Traverse City, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.01 an hour ($43,700 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.71.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Traverse City, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $59,230 a year ($28.47 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $63,650–$70,720.
Do carpenters make more in Traverse City or Detroit?: Detroit pays more: the median is $59,230 in Traverse City and $65,810 in Detroit, a 10% difference.
How does Traverse City pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Traverse City median of $59,230 is 4% less 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 45900 (Traverse City, 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 (93.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures