Do carpenters make more in Richmond or Washington?

Washington pays more: the median is $51,870 in Richmond and $60,800 in Washington, a 15% difference.

Carpenter salary in Richmond, VA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Carpenters in the Richmond, VA area earn a median of $51,870 a year, or $24.94 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $69,640. Statewide, carpenters earn a median of $55,690; Richmond is 7% below it.

Median yearly pay$51,870

Bottom 10% under$37,990Top 10% over$69,640

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $18.27/hr
Jobs in this area: 3,070
After cost of living: $53,010
Median hourly pay: $24.94/hr
vs U.S. median: −14%
vs Virginia median: −7%
Mean (average) pay: $53,520 a year · $25.73 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40060, Richmond, VA). 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.

Pay by percentile

What carpenters in Richmond, VA earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$18.27	$37,990
25th percentile	$22.42	$46,640
Median (50th)	$24.94	$51,870
75th percentile	$28.84	$59,990
90th percentile	$33.48	$69,640

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Richmond, VA compares

Richmond ranks 3rd of 11 Virginia metro areas for carpenter pay.
Carpenters hold about the same share of jobs in the Richmond area as nationally: 4.6 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Virginia metro areas

Other trades in Richmond, VA

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

Questions

Do carpenters make more in Richmond or Washington?: Washington pays more: the median is $51,870 in Richmond and $60,800 in Washington, a 15% difference.

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 40060 (Richmond, VA). 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 (97.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures