Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters Salary
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC make a median of $47,530 a year, or about $22.85 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $63K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $48,714 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,711/month, about 51.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $48K actually covers in Durham-Chapel Hill, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
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What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $48K locally vs. $47K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,711/month, which is 53.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cabinetmakers and bench carpenters in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $47K | $48K |
| Greensboro-High Point | $45K | $48K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $47K | $48K |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton | $45K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level cabinetmakers and bench carpenters (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $63K or more, a $26K spread from bottom to top.
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $60K | +29% | 60 |
| New York | $59K | +26% | 2,470 |
| Connecticut | $58K | +24% | 740 |
| Massachusetts | $58K | +24% | 1,440 |
| New Hampshire | $58K | +24% | 190 |
| Vermont | $58K | +23% | 360 |
| Rhode Island | $53K | +13% | 80 |
| New Jersey | $52K | +11% | 790 |
| Illinois | $50K | +7% | 2,350 |
| Arkansas | $50K | +7% | 920 |
| Colorado | $50K | +6% | 1,300 |
| Maryland | $49K | +5% | 610 |
| Hawaii | $49K | +5% | 160 |
| California | $49K | +5% | 7,360 |
| Minnesota | $49K | +4% | 2,340 |
| Washington | $49K | +4% | 1,350 |
| Nebraska | $49K | +4% | 230 |
| Michigan | $49K | +4% | 1,120 |
| Maine | $48K | +3% | 940 |
| Montana | $48K | +3% | 510 |
| Nevada | $48K | +2% | 450 |
| South Carolina | $48K | +2% | 710 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | +2% | 3,300 |
| Ohio | $47K | +2% | 3,110 |
| New Mexico | $47K | +1% | 170 |
| North Dakota | $47K | +1% | 220 |
| Iowa | $47K | +1% | 1,010 |
| Oregon | $47K | +0% | 2,190 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | +0% | 2,070 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -1% | 1,570 |
| Utah | $46K | -1% | 2,120 |
| Wyoming | $46K | -1% | 90 |
| Florida | $46K | -1% | 3,490 |
| North Carolina | $46K | -1% | 2,900 |
| Missouri | $46K | -1% | 1,690 |
| South Dakota | $46K | -2% | 440 |
| Virginia | $46K | -2% | 2,170 |
| Arizona | $46K | -2% | 1,600 |
| Indiana | $46K | -2% | 5,980 |
| Idaho | $45K | -4% | 970 |
| West Virginia | $42K | -9% | 130 |
| Georgia | $42K | -9% | 3,740 |
| Kansas | $41K | -11% | 1,340 |
| Kentucky | $40K | -13% | 920 |
| Louisiana | $39K | -16% | 470 |
| Mississippi | $39K | -17% | 580 |
| Alabama | $39K | -17% | 1,760 |
| Texas | $38K | -18% | 5,530 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -22% | 1,020 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cabinetmakers and bench carpenters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Durham-Chapel Hill numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cabinetmakers and bench carpenter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 53.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for cabinetmakers and bench carpenters in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cabinetmakers and bench carpenters typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,536/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 67% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cabinetmakers and bench carpenter a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $48K locally vs. $47K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for cabinetmakers and bench carpenters?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cabinetmakers and bench carpenters make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $47,530 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,440, and experienced cabinetmakers and bench carpenters can clear $63,390. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,174/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 53.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a cabinetmakers and bench carpenters salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cabinetmakers and bench carpenters salary is worth about $48,714 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cabinetmakers and bench carpenters get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.