Carpenters pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $55,210 a year or less, while the top 10% make $133,860 or more. The middle half of carpenters in San Jose earn between $62,870 and $102,700.
- $55K10th
- $63K25th
- $80KMedian
- $103K75th
- $134K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $87,930 | $7,328 | $42.27 |
| Median | $80,190 | $6,682 | $38.55 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $62,870 | $5,239 | $30.23 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $102,700 | $8,558 | $49.38 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Carpenters salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $87,930, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $66,603 a year, or $5,550 a month and $2,562 every two weeks. Taxes take 24% 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 San Jose a good place for carpenters? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $87,930 buys what about $79,630 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.0 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 18.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Carpenters salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 2nd 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
- San Diego$77,240
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 San Jose: questions
How much do carpenters make an hour in San Jose?
$42.28 an hour on average, and $38.55 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level carpenters salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $55,210 a year and the 25th percentile is $62,870, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the carpenters take-home pay in San Jose?
About $66,603 a year ($5,550 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $87,930. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do carpenters earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 32% 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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.8%.
- 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 0.91, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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