Best US Cities for Carpenters
Top US cities for Carpenters ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland, CA | $71,800 | 1.35× | +$19,800 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $68,400 | 1.45× | +$16,400 |
| 3 | Long Beach, CA | $65,000 | 1.18× | +$13,000 |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $63,600 | 1.32× | +$11,600 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $63,600 | 1.22× | +$11,600 |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | $62,900 | 1.30× | +$10,900 |
| 7 | Irvine, CA | $62,900 | 1.30× | +$10,900 |
| 8 | Anchorage, AK | $62,900 | 1.20× | +$10,900 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $62,100 | 1.18× | +$10,100 |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $62,100 | 1.18× | +$10,100 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland, CA | $71,800 | $35/hr |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $68,400 | $33/hr |
| 3 | Long Beach, CA | $65,000 | $31/hr |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $63,600 | $31/hr |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $63,600 | $31/hr |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | $62,900 | $30/hr |
| 7 | Irvine, CA | $62,900 | $30/hr |
| 8 | Anchorage, AK | $62,900 | $30/hr |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 10 | Anaheim, CA | $62,100 | $30/hr |
| 11 | Newark, NJ | $61,700 | $30/hr |
| 12 | Boston, MA | $60,000 | $29/hr |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $59,700 | $29/hr |
| 14 | Baltimore, MD | $59,700 | $29/hr |
| 15 | Hialeah, FL | $59,700 | $29/hr |
| 16 | San Diego, CA | $59,600 | $29/hr |
| 17 | Las Vegas, NV | $59,400 | $29/hr |
| 18 | Yonkers, NY | $59,300 | $29/hr |
| 19 | Portland, OR | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 20 | Riverside, CA | $58,900 | $28/hr |
| 21 | Scottsdale, AZ | $58,600 | $28/hr |
| 22 | Tampa, FL | $58,500 | $28/hr |
| 23 | Reno, NV | $58,500 | $28/hr |
| 24 | Charleston, SC | $58,500 | $28/hr |
| 25 | Denver, CO | $58,200 | $28/hr |
| 26 | North Las Vegas, NV | $57,700 | $28/hr |
| 27 | Chula Vista, CA | $57,500 | $28/hr |
| 28 | Stockton, CA | $57,000 | $27/hr |
| 29 | Aurora, CO | $57,000 | $27/hr |
| 30 | Frisco, TX | $57,000 | $27/hr |
| 31 | Norfolk, VA | $56,900 | $27/hr |
| 32 | Jacksonville, FL | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 33 | Charlotte, NC | $56,500 | $27/hr |
| 34 | Miami, FL | $56,400 | $27/hr |
| 35 | Houston, TX | $56,100 | $27/hr |
| 36 | Fort Worth, TX | $56,100 | $27/hr |
| 37 | Glendale, AZ | $56,100 | $27/hr |
| 38 | Garland, TX | $56,100 | $27/hr |
| 39 | Spokane, WA | $56,100 | $27/hr |
| 40 | Atlanta, GA | $55,900 | $27/hr |
| 41 | Henderson, NV | $55,900 | $27/hr |
| 42 | Arlington, TX | $55,700 | $27/hr |
| 43 | Sacramento, CA | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 44 | Virginia Beach, VA | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 45 | Chesapeake, VA | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 46 | Boise, ID | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 47 | Fresno, CA | $55,100 | $26/hr |
| 48 | Dallas, TX | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 49 | Nashville, TN | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 50 | Bakersfield, CA | $54,700 | $26/hr |
| 51 | Corpus Christi, TX | $54,500 | $26/hr |
| 52 | Greensboro, NC | $54,500 | $26/hr |
| 53 | El Paso, TX | $54,100 | $26/hr |
| 54 | Mesa, AZ | $54,000 | $26/hr |
| 55 | Austin, TX | $53,800 | $26/hr |
| 56 | Indianapolis, IN | $53,700 | $26/hr |
| 57 | Louisville, KY | $53,700 | $26/hr |
| 58 | Minneapolis, MN | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 59 | Plano, TX | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 60 | Chandler, AZ | $53,500 | $26/hr |
| 61 | Milwaukee, WI | $52,800 | $25/hr |
| 62 | Albuquerque, NM | $52,800 | $25/hr |
| 63 | New Orleans, LA | $52,800 | $25/hr |
| 64 | Phoenix, AZ | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 65 | Philadelphia, PA | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 66 | Gilbert, AZ | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 67 | Salt Lake City, UT | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 68 | Grand Rapids, MI | $52,500 | $25/hr |
| 69 | Orlando, FL | $52,400 | $25/hr |
| 70 | Fort Wayne, IN | $52,100 | $25/hr |
| 71 | Columbus, OH | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 72 | Detroit, MI | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 73 | Cincinnati, OH | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 74 | Kansas City, MO | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 75 | Wilmington, DE | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 76 | Lexington, KY | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 77 | Raleigh, NC | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 78 | St. Paul, MN | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 79 | Knoxville, TN | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 80 | Worcester, MA | $52,000 | $25/hr |
| 81 | Cleveland, OH | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 82 | St. Louis, MO | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 83 | Colorado Springs, CO | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 84 | St. Petersburg, FL | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 85 | Madison, WI | $51,600 | $25/hr |
| 86 | Omaha, NE | $51,300 | $25/hr |
| 87 | Memphis, TN | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 88 | Oklahoma City, OK | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 89 | Tucson, AZ | $50,500 | $24/hr |
| 90 | Birmingham, AL | $50,500 | $24/hr |
| 91 | Toledo, OH | $50,500 | $24/hr |
| 92 | Lubbock, TX | $50,500 | $24/hr |
| 93 | Pittsburgh, PA | $50,200 | $24/hr |
| 94 | Tallahassee, FL | $50,200 | $24/hr |
| 95 | Wichita, KS | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 96 | Mobile, AL | $49,700 | $24/hr |
| 97 | San Antonio, TX | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 98 | Buffalo, NY | $49,100 | $24/hr |
| 99 | Winston-Salem, NC | $48,700 | $23/hr |
| 100 | Lincoln, NE | $48,000 | $23/hr |
Does location actually decide Carpenter pay?
Unlike remote-capable roles, a Carpenter cannot separate where they earn from where they live. The $71,800 to $48,000 range across these metros is therefore a genuine relocation decision, not an arbitrage opportunity.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The nominal ranking and the useful ranking are not the same. In Oakland, $71,800 against $2,100/month rent leaves roughly $46,600 a year after housing. In Lincoln, $48,000 against $950 leaves about $36,600. The top still wins after rent, but by $10,000 rather than the $23,800 the headline suggests.
Why these metros and not others
What puts a metro near the top here is employer density, not price level. Oakland (Kaiser Permanente (HQ), Port of Oakland); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Long Beach (Port of Long Beach, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center). Where trades employers compete for the same candidates, offers rise above what the local cost of living alone would predict.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.