Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| California | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $75,920 | $62,569 | +21% |
| Median hourly wage | $36.50 | $30.08 | +21% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $68,582.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City-level data coming soon. | ||||
The median annual salary for a Carpenter in California is $75,920, or about $36.50 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Carpenters is $62,569. California is +21% above the national median.
Entry-level carpenters in California typically earn from varies by experience depending on the city and employer.
With 100,750 carpenter jobs on record and a median salary of $75,920, California offers above-average pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, carpenters rank 367 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 54% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $141,180, Insulation Workers, Mechanical at $119,690, Boilermakers at $118,150 — all figures are median annual wages for California.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, carpenters rank 367 of the 793 occupations reported in California — higher than 54% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in California | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $141,180 | $1,910 |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | $119,690 | $1,310 |
| Boilermakers | $118,150 | $720 |
| Pile Driver Operators | $110,340 | $480 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $101,290 | $13,420 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $97,680 | $71,750 |
California levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 145.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 793 occupations in California.