Carpenters Salary
Carpenters in Charlottesville, VA make a median of $56,090 a year, or about $26.97 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $73K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.15), that's roughly $56,571 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,824/month, about 49.5% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $56K get you in Charlottesville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlottesville’s Regional Price Parity (99.15). 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 carpenters
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What this looks like in Charlottesville
Carpenters pay in Charlottesville tracks closely to the national median, $56K locally vs. $61K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,824/month, which is 49.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.15) 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 carpenters in metros near Charlottesville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $52K | $53K |
| Richmond | $52K | $53K |
| Roanoke | $47K | $50K |
| Lynchburg | $48K | $54K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charlottesville, VA
Entry-level carpenters (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $73K or more, a $33K spread from bottom to top.
Carpenters pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Carpenters salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $85K | +41% | 4,810 |
| Illinois | $79K | +30% | 19,570 |
| California | $76K | +25% | 100,750 |
| Massachusetts | $75K | +24% | 18,540 |
| Washington | $74K | +22% | 26,960 |
| Alaska | $74K | +22% | 2,560 |
| New York | $72K | +19% | 40,630 |
| Minnesota | $65K | +7% | 14,930 |
| Connecticut | $64K | +6% | 5,160 |
| New Jersey | $64K | +6% | 14,230 |
| Maryland | $63K | +4% | 9,770 |
| Oregon | $63K | +4% | 15,110 |
| Indiana | $63K | +4% | 15,240 |
| Colorado | $63K | +4% | 12,740 |
| Vermont | $62K | +3% | 3,080 |
| Nevada | $62K | +3% | 12,700 |
| Maine | $62K | +3% | 5,170 |
| District of Columbia | $62K | +2% | 1,540 |
| Michigan | $62K | +2% | 18,590 |
| Wisconsin | $62K | +2% | 13,880 |
| New Hampshire | $61K | +1% | 3,760 |
| Missouri | $61K | +0% | 14,410 |
| Rhode Island | $61K | +0% | 2,580 |
| Ohio | $61K | +0% | 18,450 |
| New Mexico | $60K | -1% | 3,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $59K | -2% | 30,630 |
| Delaware | $59K | -2% | 2,250 |
| Montana | $59K | -3% | 4,030 |
| Arizona | $59K | -3% | 16,230 |
| North Dakota | $58K | -4% | 2,360 |
| Iowa | $58K | -5% | 5,770 |
| Kansas | $57K | -6% | 5,210 |
| Wyoming | $57K | -6% | 2,260 |
| Virginia | $56K | -8% | 20,460 |
| Kentucky | $53K | -13% | 8,540 |
| Utah | $52K | -14% | 15,220 |
| Idaho | $52K | -14% | 8,380 |
| Tennessee | $51K | -16% | 8,200 |
| South Carolina | $51K | -16% | 6,950 |
| Nebraska | $50K | -17% | 5,710 |
| Louisiana | $50K | -18% | 8,990 |
| Florida | $50K | -18% | 39,300 |
| Georgia | $49K | -19% | 9,190 |
| North Carolina | $49K | -19% | 13,480 |
| Texas | $49K | -19% | 33,540 |
| West Virginia | $49K | -20% | 3,670 |
| Mississippi | $49K | -20% | 2,950 |
| Alabama | $48K | -20% | 5,560 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -21% | 4,560 |
| Arkansas | $48K | -21% | 4,030 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -23% | 3,820 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track carpenters salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Charlottesville numbers change.
Related careers in Construction & Trades
Frequently asked questions
Can a carpenter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlottesville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 49.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,824/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for carpenters in Charlottesville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new carpenters typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,407/month. At HUD’s $1,824/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is carpenter a high-paying job in Charlottesville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $56K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 7% difference.
How does Charlottesville compare to the national average for carpenters?
Charlottesville pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.15), the purchasing-power equivalent is $57K — below the national median.
How much do carpenters make in Charlottesville, VA?
The median is $56,090 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,110, and experienced carpenters can clear $72,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Charlottesville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,700/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,824/month, which eats 49.3% 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 carpenters salary go in Charlottesville?
Charlottesville has a Regional Price Parity of 99.15 (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 carpenters salary is worth about $56,571 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do 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.