Carpenter salary in Scranton, PA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Scranton––Wilkes–Barre, PA area earn a median of $60,240 a year, or $28.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,290 a year. That's 1% more than the Pennsylvania median of $59,370.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.58/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,070
- After cost of living
- $64,390
- Median hourly pay
- $28.96/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −1%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- +1%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $38,640–$47,830$18.58–$23.00/hr | |
| Journeyman | $60,240$28.96/hr | |
| Top earners | $74,340–$81,290$35.74–$39.08/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Scranton, PA compares
- Scranton ranks 4th of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Scranton area as nationally: 4.2 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $81,290, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,640: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Scranton, PA
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Scranton, PA?
- Carpenters in the Scranton––Wilkes–Barre, PA area earn a median of $60,240 a year, or $28.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $81,290 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Scranton, PA?
- The median hourly wage is $28.96. The middle half earn between $23.00 and $35.74 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Scranton, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.58 an hour ($38,640 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.00.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Scranton, PA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $60,240 a year ($28.96 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $74,340–$81,290.
- Do carpenters make more in Scranton or Philadelphia?
- Philadelphia pays more: the median is $60,240 in Scranton and $61,780 in Philadelphia, a 2% difference.
- How does Scranton pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
- The Scranton median of $60,240 is 1% 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 42540 (Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA). 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 (93.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures