How much do carpenters make in North Carolina in 2026?

The median carpenter in North Carolina earns $49,100 a year, which works out to about $23.61 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the middle of the pack — half of carpenters in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working in a lower-demand area, expect pay closer to the 25th percentile: $42,150 annually, or roughly $20.26 an hour. Experienced carpenters with a solid book of work or specialized skills can push into the 75th percentile at $58,810 a year — about $28.27 an hour.

These figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. They cover all employed carpenters in North Carolina, including those doing residential framing, commercial finish work, concrete formwork, and interior trim.

What separates a $20-an-hour carpenter from a $28-an-hour one in North Carolina is usually a combination of specialization, geography, and employer type. Carpenters who work commercial jobs — office buildings, hospitals, institutional construction — typically command more than those doing tract-home framing. Concrete form carpenters and those working on bridge or highway projects often land at the higher end of the range. Interior finish and cabinet installation can also pay well when the work is high-end or the carpenter has built a reputation.

Geography moves the needle inside North Carolina. The Charlotte metro and the Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) have the densest concentration of commercial construction activity in the state, which generally translates to higher wages and more consistent hours. Asheville and the western mountain region see steady residential and renovation demand, though the market is smaller. Rural areas in the eastern part of the state tend to sit closer to the 25th percentile, with fewer large commercial projects driving competition for skilled labor.

Employer type matters too. Large general contractors and specialty subcontractors on commercial projects typically pay more per hour than small residential builders or remodeling outfits. Self-employed carpenters who run their own shop can earn above the 75th percentile on gross revenue, but they're also covering their own tools, insurance, and slow weeks — so take-home isn't always as strong as it looks on paper.

No union scale data is available for this trade in North Carolina through BLS OEWS. North Carolina is a right-to-work state, and union density in construction here is low compared to states like New York or Illinois. Most carpenters in NC work non-union, meaning wages are set by the employer and negotiated individually rather than through a collective bargaining agreement.

For context on where NC sits nationally, the U.S. median for carpenters is around $53,000 a year. That puts North Carolina's median of $49,100 modestly below the national figure — not unusual for a Southeast state, where the overall cost of labor and cost of living both tend to run lower than the coasts or the upper Midwest.

If you're evaluating a job offer or negotiating a raise, the 75th percentile of $58,810 ($28.27/hr) is a useful benchmark for what a well-regarded, experienced carpenter can realistically expect to earn in this state without moving into a supervisory role. Lead carpenters and foremen typically earn above this range, as their compensation reflects the added responsibility of managing a crew and coordinating with the GC.

Hours and overtime also shape annual take-home significantly. A carpenter averaging 45–50 hours a week during a busy stretch will clear considerably more than these base figures show, since overtime kicks in above 40 hours. Slow winter months or project gaps can pull the annual number back down, so the BLS figure reflects a full-year average across all workers, not a best-case scenario.