Carpenter salary in Washington
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in Washington earn a median of $74,190 a year, or $35.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $119,920 a year. Nationally the median is $60,580, so Washington pays 22% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 5th of 51.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $25.16/hr
- Jobs in Washington
- 26,960
- After cost of living
- $69,330
- Median hourly pay
- $35.67/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +22%
- Rank among states
- 5th of 51
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $52,330–$60,630$25.16–$29.15/hr | |
| Journeyman | $74,190$35.67/hr | |
| Top earners | $92,660–$119,920$44.55–$57.65/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median carpenter wage in Washington rose 22.2%, from $60,700 in May 2021 to $74,190 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 2.4%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $60,700 | $29.18/hr |
| May 2022 | $63,260 | $30.42/hr |
| May 2023 | $72,110 | $34.67/hr |
| May 2024 | $73,260 | $35.22/hr |
| May 2025 | $74,190 | $35.67/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How Washington compares
- Carpenters are more concentrated in Washington than nationally: 7.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.8 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $119,920, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,330: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Washington
- Western Washington$63,710
- Eastern Washington$61,100
Other trades in Washington
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Washington?
- Carpenters in Washington earn a median of $74,190 a year, or $35.67 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $119,920 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Washington?
- The median hourly wage is $35.67. The middle half earn between $29.15 and $44.55 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Washington?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.16 an hour ($52,330 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.15.
- Has carpenter pay gone up in Washington?
- The median carpenter wage in Washington rose 22.2%, from $60,700 in May 2021 to $74,190 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 2.4%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Washington?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,190 a year ($35.67 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $92,660–$119,920.
- Where in Washington do carpenters earn the most?
- Among Washington metro areas, Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue has the highest median at $76,410 a year, and Lewiston the lowest at $57,420.
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 53. 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 (107.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures