Carpenter.
St. Louis.
$51,000
median salary, 14% below the national average
$41,000 to $66,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Carpenter in St. Louis earns a median of $51,000 in 2026. That is 14% below the national average. The range runs from $41,000 to $66,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Finish carpenters specializing in custom cabinetry, trim, and millwork earn 15 to 25% more than rough framing carpenters. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Carpenter in St. Louis, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $70,990 for Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area, based on 7,210 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$45,000
25th percentile
$52,660
Median
$70,990
75th percentile
$92,100
90th percentile
$99,550
Workers surveyed
7,210
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $51,000 is 28% lower than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Carpenters covers a different population than the Carpenter title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) rather than Carpenter specifically. The St. Louisrange at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 47-2031Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $46,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$33,000
to $41,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$43,000
to $54,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$56,000
to $66,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$64,000
to $79,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $14,000 to the total package.
Base
$51,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$5,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $65,000
How St. Louis compares.
St. Louis, MO
$51,000
Cost of living: 10% below average
National Average
$59,000
St. Louis is $8,000 below
Carpenter salary by city.
Salary by role in St. Louis.
What you should know.
Here is what the Carpenter market actually looks like in St. Louis. St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent. Finish carpenters specializing in custom cabinetry, trim, and millwork earn 15 to 25% more than rough framing carpenters. Union membership in metropolitan areas provides the strongest hourly rate floors. Carpenters with concrete formwork expertise for commercial high-rise projects command premium rates due to the physical demands and precision required.
Carpenter apprentices start at $30,000 to $36,000 during their three to four year training period. Journeyman carpenters earn $42,000 to $58,000, while foremen and lead carpenters reach $60,000 to $78,000. General contractors with carpentry backgrounds often earn $85,000 to $130,000 running their own operations. In St. Louis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Union carpenters receive benefits packages worth $12,000 to $20,000 annually including health insurance, pension, and training funds. Overtime on commercial projects adds $5,000 to $12,000 per year, with prevailing wage jobs offering the best hourly rates. And on the tax side: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. When someone quotes you $51,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs. The range for Carpenters in St. Louis runs from $41,000 to $66,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Carpenter salary in other cities.
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