How much do finish carpenters make in 2026?
Finish carpenters are counted in the broad BLS carpenters series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2031 national median as $60,580 a year ($29.12 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $40,410 and the top 10% at $99,910. The series pools every kind of carpenter — framers, form carpenters, interior systems, trim and finish — so a single median tells you about carpentry generally rather than about finish work. Finish carpentry sits at and above that median where the work justifies it. Standard residential trim on production housing is priced tightly per opening or per linear foot and sits mid-band. Custom trim, coffered and panelled work, built-ins, stairs and handrails, and door hanging in high-end interiors sit well above it, because tolerance expectations are measured in fractions of a millimetre of visible gap and the client is paying for appearance rather than function. Stair building in particular is a specialism inside the specialism, with layout mathematics and code compliance that few carpenters master. Commercial architectural millwork installation, historic restoration and self-employment on high-end renovation fill out the upper band. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034 with roughly 74,100 openings a year. → Full finish carpenter career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $60,580 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Finish Carpenters earn a national median $60,580/yr ($29.12/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2031); the P10 to P90 range is $40,410 to $99,910.
- Finish carpentry has no separate BLS series; it sits inside the pooled carpenters code, and finish work sits at and above the $60,580 median within a $40,410 to $99,910 band.
- Client budget determines the premium: production trim is priced per opening and sits mid-band, while custom panelled work, built-ins, stairs and high-end door hanging sit well above it.
- Stair and handrail building is the highest-skill niche, combining layout mathematics with code compliance that most carpenters never learn.
US Finish Carpenter Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do finish carpenters earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2031; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2031, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a finish carpenter earn at each career stage?
Finish carpentry pay follows tolerance and the value of the interiors you work in. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2031.
By State
Which states pay finish carpenters the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Finish carpentry rates depend on the housing value in a market more than on its general wage level: high-value renovation and custom home markets sustain premium finish rates, while production housing markets price trim tightly regardless of local wages.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($69,670), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay finish carpenters the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro and affluent suburban markets pay finish carpenters best because that is where custom interiors and high-value renovation are, and where clients notice and pay for a fraction of a millimetre in a mitre.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a finish carpenter’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does finish carpenter pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Finish Carpenters sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify finish carpenter wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a finish carpenter actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Finish Carpenter Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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