Carpenter Salary in Texas

$24/hr

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

Change trade or state

What Carpenters Earn in Texas

Carpenters build, install and repair framing, forms, doors, trim and other building components. In Texas, the latest employee wage range is $17.78–$31.69/hr, or approximately $36,982–$65,915/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 Texas

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

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$17.78–$21.48/hr
▲ 1.56% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$21.48–$27.78/hr
▲ 1.56% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$27.78–$31.69/hr
▲ 1.56% from last year

Find Carpenter jobs in Texas.

Browse open jobs

Where do you stand?

Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other carpenters in Texas.

What are you making?

Type your hourly rate. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it stays in your browser.

$/ 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

Build your rate

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
Texas · Day Shift
Base rate$24.63
+ OSHA 10-Hour Construction$0.25
+ First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)$0.25
+ NCCER Core/Level 1$0.75
Effective hourly$25.88
Straight · 40 hrs$1,035
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$311
Weekly gross$1,346
Annualised · 50 weeks
$67,288
8 OT hrs/week · Texas

Who pays the most in Texas

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.

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.50$1,040$603 weeks
NCCER Level 2+$1$2,080$1704 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.25$520$505 weeks
Scaffold User/Competent Person+$1$2,080$1905 weeks
Fall Protection Competent Person+$0.75$1,560$1505 weeks
First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned)+$0.25$520$606 weeks
NCCER Core/Level 1+$0.75$1,560$1706 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $23.51/hr.

40 hr week
$940
No OT
50 hr week
$1,293
+$17,633/yr
60 hr week
$1,646
+$35,265/yr
70 hr week
$1,998
+$52,898/yr

Questions workers ask

Do Texas carpenters need a state license?▾
Employees do not need a statewide occupational carpenter license. Local contractor registration and permit rules can still apply. Check the contracting business's local requirements for the actual city or county where work occurs.
Are contractor invoices comparable with hourly wages?▾
No. Contract prices include business costs and profit; this guide shows employee wages.
Does the offer include workers' compensation?▾
Check explicitly. Most Texas private employers can opt out, while public construction or contract conditions can require coverage.

See Open Carpenter Jobs in Texas

Verified positions matching this trade and location.

Current Texas 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.