Carpenter salary in Rochester, MN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $63,610 a year, or $30.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $95,810. That's 2% less than the Minnesota median of $64,930.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.93/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 460
- After cost of living
- $70,040
- Median hourly pay
- $30.58/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +5%
- vs Minnesota median
- −2%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $45,610–$49,070$21.93–$23.59/hr | |
| Journeyman | $63,610$30.58/hr | |
| Top earners | $80,790–$95,810$38.84–$46.06/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Rochester, MN compares
- Rochester ranks 2nd of 9 Minnesota metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the Rochester area than nationally: 3.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.86 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $95,810, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,610: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Minnesota metro areas
Other trades in Rochester, MN
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Rochester, MN?
- Carpenters in the Rochester, MN area earn a median of $63,610 a year, or $30.58 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $95,810.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Rochester, MN?
- The median hourly wage is $30.58. The middle half earn between $23.59 and $38.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Rochester, MN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.93 an hour ($45,610 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.59.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Rochester, MN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $63,610 a year ($30.58 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $80,790–$95,810.
- Do carpenters make more in Rochester or Minneapolis?
- Minneapolis pays more: the median is $63,610 in Rochester and $74,060 in Minneapolis, a 14% difference.
- How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of Minnesota?
- The Rochester median of $63,610 is 2% less than the Minnesota median of $64,930.
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 40340 (Rochester, MN). 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 (90.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures