Carpenters pay range in Salinas
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $47,930 a year or less, while the top 10% make $104,630 or more. The middle half of carpenters in Salinas earn between $51,870 and $82,300.
- $48K10th
- $52K25th
- $68KMedian
- $82K75th
- $105K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $72,380 | $6,032 | $34.80 |
| Median | $67,530 | $5,628 | $32.47 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $51,870 | $4,322 | $24.94 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $82,300 | $6,858 | $39.57 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Carpenters salary after taxes in Salinas
On the average salary of $72,380, a single filer in Salinas takes home about $57,031 a year, or $4,753 a month and $2,194 every two weeks. Taxes take 21% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Salinas a good place for carpenters? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Salinas area are 9% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 109.0), so the average $72,380 buys what about $66,378 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Salinas ($47,380). A typical home costs $850,461, or 11.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Carpenters salary in other California cities
Salinas ranks 21st of 25 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($89,630).
- San Francisco$89,630
- San Jose$87,930
- Napa$86,890
- Santa Rosa$83,430
- Vallejo$80,420
- San Luis Obispo$80,200
- Los Angeles$78,600
- Santa Cruz$78,270
- Yuba City$77,830
- Salinas$72,380
Highest-paying cities for carpenters
Fairbanks, AK pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($90,730).
- Fairbanks, AK$90,730
- San Francisco, CA$89,630
- Honolulu, HI$89,400
- Decatur, IL$88,510
- San Jose, CA$87,930
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Carpenters salary in Salinas: questions
How much do carpenters make an hour in Salinas?
$34.80 an hour on average, and $32.47 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level carpenters salary in Salinas?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $47,930 a year and the 25th percentile is $51,870, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the carpenters take-home pay in Salinas?
About $57,031 a year ($4,753 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $72,380. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do carpenters earn more in Salinas than elsewhere?
The average here is 9% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($66,608).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 47-2031; area Salinas, CA (41500). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.1%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.50, this job is 1.5 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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