Carpenter Salary in Rhode Island

$29/hr

Current Rhode Island carpenter pay, experience ranges and industry benchmarks, with practical context for comparing local employment offers.

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What Carpenters Earn in Rhode Island

Carpenters build, install and repair framing, forms, doors, trim and other building components. In Rhode Island, the latest employee wage range is $23.00–$43.11/hr, or approximately $47,840–$89,669/year at 2,080 hours. These figures show the lower and upper ends of surveyed wages. Location, project type, responsibilities and paid hours affect your actual earnings; benefits and contractor business revenue are separate.

Hourly rates by level in Rhode Island

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

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$23–$25.14/hr
▲ 0.55% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$25.14–$36.42/hr
▲ 0.55% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$36.42–$43.11/hr
▲ 0.55% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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What are you making?

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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
Rhode Island · Day Shift
Base rate$30.78
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.25
+ First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)$0.25
+ NCCER Core/Level 1$0.75
Effective hourly$32.03
Straight · 40 hrs$1,281
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$384
Weekly gross$1,666
Annualised · 50 weeks
$83,278
8 OT hrs/week · Rhode Island

Who pays the most in Rhode Island

National carpenter medians, not state rankings; converted at 2,080 hours.

01 / 03$30.66/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Offices and institutional buildings; structured commercial work. Carpenters coordinate framing and installation with other building trades.

+ Larger projects
+ Coordinated teams
– Tight schedules
– Travel demands
02 / 03$29.27/hr

Building Finishing Contractors

Doors, trim and interior installation. Detailed fitting and consistent finishes matter when comparing these roles.

+ Indoor work
+ Finish specialization
– Quality pressure
– Repetitive tasks
03 / 03$29.13/hr

Residential Building Construction

Homes, additions and structural residential work. Expect projects combining framing, exterior work and practical onsite coordination.

+ Varied tasks
+ Local projects
– Weather exposure
– Market fluctuations

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 Level 2+$1$2,080$2105 weeks
Scaffold User/Competent Person+$1$2,080$2306 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.75$1,560$1806 weeks
NCCER Core/Level 1+$0.75$1,560$2107 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$758 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.25$520$909 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.50$1,040$1809 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $29.25/hr.

40 hr week
$1,170
No OT
50 hr week
$1,609
+$21,938/yr
60 hr week
$2,048
+$43,875/yr
70 hr week
$2,486
+$65,813/yr

Questions workers ask

Is contractor registration an employee license?▾
No. Rhode Island registration applies to applicable contracting businesses, not an occupational carpenter license for employees. Compare the business's registration and insurance with its actual scope before accepting subcontract work.
Does OSHA 10 automatically increase wages?▾
No published premium is assumed. The public-work safety requirement and employee pay are different questions.
Is the Providence metro figure Rhode Island-only?▾
No. Providence-Warwick spans Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Use the statewide range for a Rhode Island comparison.

See Open Carpenter Jobs in Rhode Island

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Current Rhode Island carpenter wage data from BLS, accessed through O*NET, for SOC 47-2031 employee occupational wages.

Last updated October 30, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.