Carpenters in California

Is California a good place for you to work as a Carpenter?

You’re in luck! Jobs for Carpenters in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Carpenters in California is growing faster than average.

• Carpenters in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For a Carpenter Career?

• Construction Trades
• Carpentry
• Carpentry/Carpenter

How Many Carpenters Work in California?

100,570 people worked as Carpenters in 2018 in this state.

There were 96,460 Carpenters employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 4,110 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 9,080 Carpenters working in it, which means California has more Carpenters than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Carpenters in this state are growing at a rate of 17.9% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 8.2%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 16,150 annual Carpenters job openings in California, and 164,300 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 104,400 annual jobs and 1,109,400 total jobs in 2026.

What do Carpenters Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Carpenters ranged from $33,290 to $95,250 with $56,770 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $16.01 to $45.8. The median hourly rate was $27.29.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $26.15 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $1.14.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Carpenters

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Carpenters.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	24,670	$55,910
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	17,620	$65,530
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	15,630	$50,570
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA	10,010	$54,800
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	8,240	$52,820
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	5,180	$59,940
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	2,600	$59,860
Fresno, CA	2,010	$46,700
Santa Rosa, CA	1,890	$70,150
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA	1,150	$55,520
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	1,060	$54,520
Salinas, CA	1,040	$65,690
Stockton-Lodi, CA	980	$57,330
Modesto, CA	880	$49,380
Napa, CA	810	$74,820
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA	790	$54,030
Bakersfield, CA	750	$55,150
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	710	$61,990
Visalia-Porterville, CA	550	$35,120
Yuba City, CA	340	$53,680
Chico, CA	290	$47,530
Merced, CA	270	$55,760
Redding, CA	250	$51,660
Madera, CA	230	$54,730
El Centro, CA	100	$62,230
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	90	$65,070

Top States for Carpenters Employment

The table below shows the states where most Carpenters work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
California	100,570	$56,770
New York	50,200	$54,820
Florida	47,350	$38,760
Texas	38,530	$38,720
Pennsylvania	29,200	$49,220
Illinois	26,970	$69,470
Washington	26,350	$57,240
Michigan	20,240	$45,410
Ohio	19,280	$46,240
Massachusetts	18,300	$57,210
North Carolina	17,700	$36,370
Virginia	17,310	$42,080
Georgia	17,300	$38,910
Minnesota	17,110	$50,430
New Jersey	15,960	$58,190
Wisconsin	15,830	$47,610
Oregon	15,270	$45,590
Maryland	14,980	$46,320
Indiana	14,290	$46,790
Colorado	14,170	$47,550

Below are the states where Carpenters get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Hawaii	$73,600
Illinois	$69,470
Alaska	$65,350
New Jersey	$58,190
Washington	$57,240
Massachusetts	$57,210
California	$56,770
Connecticut	$56,390
New York	$54,820
Missouri	$54,370

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.