Carpenter salary in Madison, WI
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $63,480 a year, or $30.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,430. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $61,660, so Madison pays 3% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.44/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,320
- After cost of living
- $65,250
- Median hourly pay
- $30.52/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +5%
- vs Wisconsin median
- +3%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $46,670–$53,480$22.44–$25.71/hr | |
| Journeyman | $63,480$30.52/hr | |
| Top earners | $82,540–$92,430$39.68–$44.44/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Madison, WI compares
- Madison ranks 5th of 15 Wisconsin metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are more concentrated in the Madison area than nationally: 5.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.3 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $92,430, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Wisconsin metro areas
Other trades in Madison, WI
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Madison, WI?
- Carpenters in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $63,480 a year, or $30.52 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,430.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Madison, WI?
- The median hourly wage is $30.52. The middle half earn between $25.71 and $39.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Madison, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.44 an hour ($46,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.71.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Madison, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $63,480 a year ($30.52 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $82,540–$92,430.
- Do carpenters make more in Madison or Oshkosh?
- Oshkosh pays more: the median is $63,480 in Madison and $84,430 in Oshkosh, a 25% difference.
- How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
- The Madison median of $63,480 is 3% more than the Wisconsin median of $61,660.
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 31540 (Madison, WI). 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 (97.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures