Carpenter salary in Watertown, NY
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Watertown–Fort Drum, NY area earn a median of $57,840 a year, or $27.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,270 a year. Across all of New York, the median is $72,330, so Watertown pays 20% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $20.42/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 270
- After cost of living
- $65,960
- Median hourly pay
- $27.81/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −5%
- vs New York median
- −20%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $42,460–$49,860$20.42–$23.97/hr | |
| Journeyman | $57,840$27.81/hr | |
| Top earners | $62,140–$76,270$29.88–$36.67/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Watertown, NY compares
- Watertown has the lowest carpenter median of the 13 New York metro areas with published pay.
- Carpenters are more concentrated in the Watertown area than nationally: 6.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $76,270, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $42,460: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New York metro areas
Other trades in Watertown, NY
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Watertown, NY?
- Carpenters in the Watertown–Fort Drum, NY area earn a median of $57,840 a year, or $27.81 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $76,270 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Watertown, NY?
- The median hourly wage is $27.81. The middle half earn between $23.97 and $29.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Watertown, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $20.42 an hour ($42,460 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.97.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Watertown, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,840 a year ($27.81 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $62,140–$76,270.
- Do carpenters make more in Watertown or New York?
- New York pays more: the median is $57,840 in Watertown and $74,300 in New York, a 22% difference.
- How does Watertown pay compare with the rest of New York?
- The Watertown median of $57,840 is 20% less than the New York median of $72,330.
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 48060 (Watertown-Fort Drum, NY). 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 (87.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures