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Salary Guides / Colorado
Carpenter Salary in Colorado
Discover Colorado carpenter hourly rates, annual salaries, career levels, credentials, industries, and factors affecting earning potential.
What carpenters earn in Colorado
Carpenters construct, install, and repair structures and fixtures made from wood and comparable materials, including framing, concrete forms, doors, windows, flooring, and cabinets. Colorado carpenters earn $22.61 per hour at the 10th percentile, $30.21 at the median, and $43.62 at the 90th percentile. These figures correspond to $47,020, $62,830, and $90,740 annually. The data comes from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates. Actual pay varies by experience, specialty, location, employer, union status, overtime, and project type. Colorado also has county and project specific prevailing wage rates for qualifying public work, which can differ from ordinary occupational wages.
Hourly rates by level in Colorado
What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.
Where do you stand?
Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other carpenters in Colorado.
What are you making?
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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.
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
An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.
Who pays the most in Colorado
Same licence, same state, very different money.
Commercial Construction
Commercial carpenters work on offices, retail properties, institutions, interiors, framing, fixtures, and larger building projects.
Residential Construction
Residential carpenters handle framing, remodeling, finish work, installations, repairs, and housing related construction.
Industrial Construction
Industrial carpenters may work on structural components, concrete forms, equipment supports, and specialized construction environments.
Institutional Construction
Institutional projects include schools, hospitals, public facilities, and other large structures requiring substantial construction and finish work.
Heavy Highway
A current federal Davis-Bacon determination lists $33.11 base pay plus $12.17 fringe for carpenters on specified Colorado highway projects.
Public Building Projects
A current federal Davis-Bacon determination lists $35.09 base pay plus $13.84 fringe for a specified carpenter classification on qualifying Colorado building projects.
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.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCCER Carpentry Level 2 | +$1 | $2,080 | $190 | 5 weeks |
| Scaffold User/Competent Person (OSHA-aligned) | +$1 | $2,080 | $210 | 5 weeks |
| NCCER Carpentry Level 1 | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $190 | 6 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person (OSHA-aligned) | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $165 | 6 weeks |
| First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned) | +$0.25 | $520 | $70 | 7 weeks |
| OSHA 10-Hour Construction | +$0.25 | $520 | $85 | 9 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.50 | $1,040 | $170 | 9 weeks |
What overtime actually adds
Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $30.21/hr.
Questions workers ask
Does Colorado require a statewide carpenter license?▾
Can a carpenter work as an independent contractor in Colorado?▾
Are carpenter apprenticeships available in Colorado?▾
Are apprentices covered by prevailing wage requirements on Colorado public projects?▾
When does Colorado's prevailing wage requirement apply?▾
Are federal prevailing wage rates different from ordinary carpenter wages?▾
See Open Carpenter Jobs in Colorado
Verified positions matching this trade and location.
CareerOneStop's 2025 wage data for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031, reports Colorado's low, median, and high hourly wage levels at these figures.
Last updated October 1, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.