Carpenter salary in Helena, MT
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Helena, MT area earn a median of $58,490 a year, or $28.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $77,570. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $58,820; Helena is 1% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $19.34/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 310
- After cost of living
- $61,130
- Median hourly pay
- $28.12/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −3%
- vs Montana median
- −1%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $40,230–$49,020$19.34–$23.57/hr | |
| Journeyman | $58,490$28.12/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,180–$77,570$30.86–$37.29/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Helena, MT compares
- Helena ranks 4th of 5 Montana metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are more concentrated in the Helena area than nationally: 7.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $77,570, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $40,230: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Montana metro areas
Other trades in Helena, MT
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Helena, MT?
- Carpenters in the Helena, MT area earn a median of $58,490 a year, or $28.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $77,570.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Helena, MT?
- The median hourly wage is $28.12. The middle half earn between $23.57 and $30.86 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Helena, MT?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.34 an hour ($40,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.57.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Helena, MT?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $58,490 a year ($28.12 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $64,180–$77,570.
- Do carpenters make more in Helena or Bozeman?
- Bozeman pays more: the median is $58,490 in Helena and $62,450 in Bozeman, a 6% difference.
- How does Helena pay compare with the rest of Montana?
- The Helena median of $58,490 is 1% less than the Montana median of $58,820.
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 25740 (Helena, MT). 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 (95.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures