How much do carpenters make in Minnesota in 2026?

The median carpenter in Minnesota earns $64,930 a year, which works out to about $31.22 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number sits in the middle of the field — half of Minnesota carpenters earn more, half earn less. If you're just sizing up whether carpentry pays the bills here, that median is your baseline.

The bottom quarter of the wage range starts at $55,240 annually, or roughly $26.56 an hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade — apprentices in their first few years, helpers who recently transitioned into full carpenter roles, or people working for smaller residential contractors where pay scales tend to run leaner. It's a living wage in most of Minnesota, but it leaves limited room if you're in the Twin Cities metro where housing costs run higher.

The 75th percentile sits at $84,410 a year — about $40.58 an hour. Getting there usually takes a combination of years on the job, specialization, and the right employer. Carpenters who reach this tier are typically doing more technically demanding work: commercial framing, finish carpentry on high-end builds, cabinet and millwork installation, or taking on lead and foreman responsibilities. Some are working for larger general contractors or specialty subcontractors where project scale and labor agreements push wages up.

The spread from the 25th to the 75th percentile is $29,170 a year. That's a significant range, and it tells you that what you do within carpentry — and who you do it for — matters a lot. Residential new construction, commercial tenant improvement, heavy timber work, and restoration carpentry all pay differently. Carpenters who cross-train in concrete formwork or develop skills in blueprint reading and layout tend to command more on any crew.

Geography within Minnesota also plays a role. The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area concentrates the largest volume of commercial and multi-family construction, and hourly rates there generally track above what you'd see in smaller markets like Duluth, Rochester, or Saint Cloud. That said, cost of living adjusts the real value of those dollars, and some outstate carpenters working in regional hospital expansions or school construction projects can close a good part of that gap.

Overtime is a real factor in this trade. Minnesota construction seasons push hard from spring thaw through late fall, and experienced carpenters on commercial jobs can regularly log 50 to 60 hours a week during peak months. At $31.22 base, ten hours of weekly overtime at time-and-a-half adds more than $23,000 to annual take-home over a full busy season. Employers don't always advertise overtime availability, so it's worth asking directly when evaluating a job offer.

Some carpenters in Minnesota work under collective bargaining agreements. If that's your situation, your actual pay and benefit structure come from your specific labor agreement, not from a statewide average. The BLS figures reported here blend union and non-union wages across all employer types, so they reflect the full market. If you're covered by a union contract, check that agreement directly for your wage scale, fringe benefit contributions, and annuity or pension rates — those matter as much as the hourly wage line.

Minnesota does not require a statewide carpenter license for most commercial and residential work, but specific counties and municipalities — including those in the metro — require contractor licensing at the business level. Individual journeyworkers generally don't need a personal state license, but apprentices must be registered through a state-approved apprenticeship program to work legally under that classification. Completing a registered apprenticeship typically takes four years and includes classroom hours alongside on-the-job training; graduates generally enter the journeyworker wage tier, which lines up closer to the median and above on this scale.

To move your pay toward the 75th percentile, the clearest paths are: accumulate years on commercial projects rather than staying in residential-only work, develop foreman or layout skills that make you indispensable on larger crews, and pursue any specialty certifications (OSHA 30, fall protection, or scaffold erector credentials) that open doors to jobs with higher labor standards and corresponding pay. Contractors doing prevailing-wage public work — schools, government buildings, transit projects — also tend to pay at or above the median by legal requirement.

All figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. BLS collects data from employer payroll records, so it captures base wages well. It does not capture self-employment income, cash pay, or off-the-books arrangements, which means independent contractors and owner-operators may earn differently than what these numbers show.