Carpenter Salary in Colorado

$30/hr

Discover Colorado carpenter hourly rates, annual salaries, career levels, credentials, industries, and factors affecting earning potential.

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What carpenters earn in Colorado

Carpenters construct, install, and repair structures and fixtures made from wood and comparable materials, including framing, concrete forms, doors, windows, flooring, and cabinets. Colorado carpenters earn $22.61 per hour at the 10th percentile, $30.21 at the median, and $43.62 at the 90th percentile. These figures correspond to $47,020, $62,830, and $90,740 annually. The data comes from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates. Actual pay varies by experience, specialty, location, employer, union status, overtime, and project type. Colorado also has county and project specific prevailing wage rates for qualifying public work, which can differ from ordinary occupational wages.

Hourly rates by level in Colorado

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$22.61–$24.97/hr
▲ 3.1% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$24.97–$35.78/hr
▲ 4.2% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$35.78–$43.62/hr
▲ 3.6% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman Carpenter
Colorado · Day Shift
Base rate$30.38
+ Colorado Registered Apprenticeship Completion$0.75
+ NCCER Carpentry Level 1$0.75
+ Scaffold User/Competent Person (OSHA-aligned)$1.00
Effective hourly$32.88
Straight · 40 hrs$1,315
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$395
Weekly gross$1,710
Annualised · 50 weeks
$85,475
8 OT hrs/week · Colorado

Who pays the most in Colorado

Same licence, same state, very different money.

01 / 06$30.21/hr

Commercial Construction

Commercial carpenters work on offices, retail properties, institutions, interiors, framing, fixtures, and larger building projects.

+ Larger projects
+ Specialized work
– Project deadlines
– Employer variation
02 / 06$30.21/hr

Residential Construction

Residential carpenters handle framing, remodeling, finish work, installations, repairs, and housing related construction.

+ Broad job market
+ Varied specialties
– Starting wages
– Seasonal demand
03 / 06$30.21/hr

Industrial Construction

Industrial carpenters may work on structural components, concrete forms, equipment supports, and specialized construction environments.

+ Specialized skills
+ Complex projects
– Demanding conditions
– Travel requirements
04 / 06$30.21/hr

Institutional Construction

Institutional projects include schools, hospitals, public facilities, and other large structures requiring substantial construction and finish work.

+ Large projects
+ Stable sectors
– Strict schedules
– Site restrictions
05 / 06$33.11/hr

Heavy Highway

A current federal Davis-Bacon determination lists $33.11 base pay plus $12.17 fringe for carpenters on specified Colorado highway projects.

+ Infrastructure projects
+ Fringe benefits
– Project specific
– County dependent
06 / 06$35.09/hr

Public Building Projects

A current federal Davis-Bacon determination lists $35.09 base pay plus $13.84 fringe for a specified carpenter classification on qualifying Colorado building projects.

+ Prevailing wages
+ Benefit package
– Classification specific
– Project dependent

Which states pay carpenters the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01Hawaii$41/hr
  2. 02Illinois$37.98/hr
  3. 03California$36.50/hr
  4. 04Massachusetts$36.16/hr
  5. 05Alaska$35.51/hr
  6. 06New York$34.77/hr
  7. 07Minnesota$31.22/hr
  8. 08Connecticut$30.80/hr
  9. 09New Jersey$30.77/hr
  10. 10Maryland$30.27/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
NCCER Carpentry Level 2+$1$2,080$1905 weeks
Scaffold User/Competent Person (OSHA-aligned)+$1$2,080$2105 weeks
NCCER Carpentry Level 1+$0.75$1,560$1906 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person (OSHA-aligned)+$0.75$1,560$1656 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$707 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.25$520$859 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.50$1,040$1709 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $30.21/hr.

40 hr week
$1,208
No OT
50 hr week
$1,662
+$22,658/yr
60 hr week
$2,115
+$45,315/yr
70 hr week
$2,568
+$67,973/yr

Questions workers ask

Does Colorado require a statewide carpenter license?▾
Colorado does not regulate residential construction contractors at the state level in the same way it regulates electricians and plumbers. Local governments can impose their own contractor licensing requirements.
Can a carpenter work as an independent contractor in Colorado?▾
Independent contractors may need local contractor licensing depending on where the work occurs. Denver, for example, maintains its own contractor licensing system and license classifications.
Are carpenter apprenticeships available in Colorado?▾
Yes. Colorado supports registered apprenticeship programs, and Carpenter is an occupation with recognized apprenticeship pathways through the national registered apprenticeship system.
Are apprentices covered by prevailing wage requirements on Colorado public projects?▾
Certain Colorado public projects have prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements. The applicable wage depends on the project, trade, occupation, and geographic locality.
When does Colorado's prevailing wage requirement apply?▾
Colorado's state prevailing wage requirement applies to contractors awarded qualifying state public project contracts of $500,000 or more, including covered subcontractors and employees working on those projects.
Are federal prevailing wage rates different from ordinary carpenter wages?▾
Yes. Federal Davis-Bacon determinations establish project specific base wages and fringe benefits by county, construction type, and carpenter classification, so they should not be treated as statewide occupational salaries.

See Open Carpenter Jobs in Colorado

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CareerOneStop's 2025 wage data for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031, reports Colorado's low, median, and high hourly wage levels at these figures.

Last updated October 1, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.