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Construction & Trades

Helpers--Carpenters Salary

in Wilmington, NC

In Wilmington, NC, helpers--carpenters earn $40,650 at the median, or about $19.54 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 96.42), that's roughly $42,159 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,426/month, about 50.5% of take-home, which is tight.

$41K
Median annual
$19.54/hr
Hourly rate
$37K
Entry level (10th %)
$48K
Senior level (90th %)

So what does $41K get you in Wilmington?

Estimated take-home pay$2,739/mo
Rent (2BR median)-$1,426/mo
Rent as % of take-home52.1% ⚠ above 30% guideline
Groceries-$378/mo
Utilities-$189/mo
Transportation-$332/mo
Healthcare *-$220/mo
Left over$194/mo

Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Wilmington’s Regional Price Parity (96.42). 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.

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About helpers--carpenters

Education: High school diploma or equivalent
U.S. employed: 21,680
Wilmington, NC employed: 40
Category: Construction & Trades

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What this looks like in Wilmington

Helpers--carpenters pay in Wilmington tracks closely to the national median, $41K locally vs. $44K nationwide, a 7% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,426/month, which is 52.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 96.42) 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 helpers--carpenters in metros near Wilmington, adjusted for local cost of living.

MetroMedian payCOL-adjusted
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia$44K$45K
Raleigh-Cary$37K$38K
Winston-Salem$42K$46K
Charlottesville$47K$48K

COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.

Compensation breakdown

Annual earnings by percentile, Wilmington, NC

Bar chart showing Helpers--Carpenters salary percentiles in Wilmington, NC: 10th percentile $37,030, 25th percentile $39,740, median $40,650, 75th percentile $40,660, 90th percentile $48,190. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.10th$37K25th$40KMedian$41K75th$41K90th$48K
Bar chart showing Helpers--Carpenters salary percentiles in Wilmington, NC: 10th percentile $37,030, 25th percentile $39,740, median $40,650, 75th percentile $40,660, 90th percentile $48,190. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Entry-level helpers--carpenters (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $41K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $11K spread from bottom to top.

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Helpers--Carpenters pay across states

Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure

View Helpers--Carpenters salary in all states
StateMedian salaryvs. nationalEmployment
New Hampshire$58K+33%N/A
Colorado$51K+16%200
Connecticut$50K+15%200
Rhode Island$50K+15%N/A
Maine$50K+14%160
California$50K+14%2,670
Massachusetts$48K+10%630
New York$48K+9%1,110
Arkansas$47K+7%100
Washington$46K+5%620
Illinois$46K+4%N/A
Michigan$45K+3%230
Ohio$45K+2%540
Vermont$45K+2%200
Hawaii$45K+2%N/A
New Jersey$44K+1%840
Texas$44K+0%2,270
Pennsylvania$44K+0%560
Virginia$44K-0%1,200
Oregon$43K-1%220
Indiana$43K-2%160
Montana$43K-3%N/A
Idaho$42K-4%N/A
Arizona$42K-5%N/A
Louisiana$41K-7%860
North Carolina$41K-7%650
Florida$40K-8%2,120
Georgia$40K-8%410
Iowa$40K-9%100
Tennessee$40K-9%440
Nebraska$40K-9%50
Wisconsin$39K-10%150
Maryland$39K-10%580
Alaska$39K-10%90
Alabama$39K-11%410
Kansas$38K-13%80
Oklahoma$38K-13%150
New Mexico$37K-15%50
Nevada$36K-17%540
South Carolina$36K-18%200
Utah$36K-18%330
Kentucky$36K-19%N/A
Mississippi$35K-19%140
South Dakota$35K-21%330
Delaware$34K-23%190
West Virginia$34K-23%320
Missouri$32K-26%50
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Showing 1–10 of 47 states with published data

BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small

Track helpers--carpenters salary changes

BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Wilmington numbers change.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a helpers--carpenter afford a 2BR apartment alone in Wilmington?

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $41K, rent takes 52.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,426/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

What’s the entry-level salary for helpers--carpenters in Wilmington?

The 10th-percentile wage — what new helpers--carpenters typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,222/month. At HUD’s $1,426/month FMR, rent would take 64% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Is helpers--carpenter a high-paying job in Wilmington?

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $41K locally vs. $44K nationally, a 7% difference.

How does Wilmington compare to the national average for helpers--carpenters?

Wilmington pays $41K median vs. the U.S. average of $44K — that’s -7%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 96.42), the purchasing-power equivalent is $42K — below the national median.

How much do helpers--carpenters make in Wilmington, NC?

The median is $40,650 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,030, and experienced helpers--carpenters can clear $48,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

Is $41K enough to live in Wilmington?

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,739/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,426/month, which eats 52.1% 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 helpers--carpenters salary go in Wilmington?

Wilmington has a Regional Price Parity of 96.42 (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 helpers--carpenters salary is worth about $42,159 in national-average purchasing power.

Where do helpers--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.

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