How much do carpenters make an hour in Wilmington, NC?

The median hourly wage is $24.44. The middle half earn between $22.06 and $28.70 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Wilmington, NC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.27 an hour ($38,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.06.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Wilmington, NC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $50,830 a year ($24.44 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $59,700–$64,510.

Do carpenters make more in Wilmington or Virginia Beach?

Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $50,830 in Wilmington and $51,500 in Virginia Beach, a 1% difference.

How does Wilmington pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?

The Wilmington median of $50,830 is 4% more than the North Carolina median of $49,100.

Carpenter salary in Wilmington, NC

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $50,830 a year, or $24.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,510 a year. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $49,100, so Wilmington pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$50,830

Bottom 10% under$38,010Top 10% over$64,510

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.27/hr
Jobs in this area: 640
After cost of living: $52,720
Median hourly pay: $24.44/hr
vs U.S. median: −16%
vs North Carolina median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48900, Wilmington, NC). 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	$38,010–$45,890$18.27–$22.06/hr
Journeyman	$50,830$24.44/hr
Top earners	$59,700–$64,510$28.70–$31.01/hr

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

How Wilmington, NC compares

Wilmington ranks 5th of 16 North Carolina metro areas for carpenter pay.
Carpenters are less concentrated in the Wilmington area than nationally: 3.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $64,510, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,010: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Wilmington, NC

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

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Wilmington, NC?: Carpenters in the Wilmington, NC area earn a median of $50,830 a year, or $24.44 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $64,510 a year.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Wilmington, NC?: The median hourly wage is $24.44. The middle half earn between $22.06 and $28.70 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Wilmington, NC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.27 an hour ($38,010 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.06.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Wilmington, NC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $50,830 a year ($24.44 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $59,700–$64,510.
Do carpenters make more in Wilmington or Virginia Beach?: Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $50,830 in Wilmington and $51,500 in Virginia Beach, a 1% difference.
How does Wilmington pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?: The Wilmington median of $50,830 is 4% more than the North Carolina median of $49,100.

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 48900 (Wilmington, NC). 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 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures