How much do carpenters make an hour in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

The median hourly wage is $29.70. The middle half earn between $23.17 and $36.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice carpenters make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.97 an hour ($45,690 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.17.

How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,780 a year ($29.70 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $76,600–$98,470.

Do carpenters make more in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $61,780 in Philadelphia and $61,180 in Pittsburgh, a 1% difference.

How does Philadelphia pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

The Philadelphia median of $61,780 is 4% more than the Pennsylvania median of $59,370.

Carpenter salary in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $61,780 a year, or $29.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $98,470. Across all of Pennsylvania, the median is $59,370, so Philadelphia pays 4% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$61,780

Bottom 10% under$45,690Top 10% over$98,470

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $21.97/hr
Jobs in this area: 14,260
After cost of living: $60,240
Median hourly pay: $29.70/hr
vs U.S. median: +2%
vs Pennsylvania median: +4%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37980, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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	$45,690–$48,190$21.97–$23.17/hr
Journeyman	$61,780$29.70/hr
Top earners	$76,600–$98,470$36.83–$47.34/hr

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

How Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD compares

Philadelphia has the highest carpenter median of the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas with published pay.
Carpenters are more concentrated in the Philadelphia area than nationally: 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $98,470, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,690: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright Boilermaker

Questions

How much do carpenters make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: Carpenters in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $61,780 a year, or $29.70 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $98,470.
How much do carpenters make an hour in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: The median hourly wage is $29.70. The middle half earn between $23.17 and $36.83 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice carpenters make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.97 an hour ($45,690 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.17.
How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $61,780 a year ($29.70 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $76,600–$98,470.
Do carpenters make more in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $61,780 in Philadelphia and $61,180 in Pittsburgh, a 1% difference.
How does Philadelphia pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?: The Philadelphia median of $61,780 is 4% more than the Pennsylvania median of $59,370.

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 37980 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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 (102.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures