Skilled Wages

Carpenter salary in Indiana

Median $30.23 an hour for 15,240 carpenters, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$30.23/hrMedian hourly wageIndiana, May data
$62,870/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.88 – $43.6010th to 90th percentilehourly range
15,240Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Carpenter pay in Indiana: the full range

Wage percentiles, IndianaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIndiana: 10th $21.88 · 25th $24.01 · median $30.23 · 75th $36.95 · 90th $43.60Indiana$30.23$21.88$43.60United States: 10th $19.43 · 25th $23.32 · median $29.12 · 75th $36.94 · 90th $48.03United States$29.12
Hourly wage percentiles for carpenters: Indiana vs United States, May 2025.

Indiana ranks 12th of 51 states for median carpenter pay, and 7th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $32.40). 15,240 carpenters work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.0× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$21.88 – $24.01$45,510 – $49,940roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$24.01 – $36.95$49,940 – $76,850the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$36.95 – $43.60$76,850 – $90,700the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Carpenter pay by metro in Indiana

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrMichigan City: $44.22Michigan City$44.22Chicago: $38.68Chicago$38.68Columbus: $32.59Columbus$32.59Elkhart: $31.50Elkhart$31.50Indianapolis: $31.28Indianapolis$31.28Evansville: $31.10Evansville$31.10Lafayette: $30.31Lafayette$30.31South Bend: $29.66South Bend$29.66Bloomington: $29.50Bloomington$29.50Kokomo: $29.33Kokomo$29.33Terre Haute: $29.12Terre Haute$29.12Fort Wayne: $29.04Fort Wayne$29.04
Median hourly wage for carpenters by metro area in Indiana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Michigan City$23.99$44.22$48.22$44.2226046% above
Chicago$19.82$38.68$37.34$56.9514,22028% above
Columbus$22.76$32.59$35.04$39.891908% above
Elkhart$21.54$31.50$34.88$48.511,1704% above
Indianapolis$22.57$31.28$32.69$42.584,9603% above
Evansville$22.09$31.10$33.99$38.047903% above
Lafayette$22.59$30.31$32.45$46.13300about the same as
South Bend$21.68$29.66$31.93$37.845002% below
Bloomington$22.57$29.50$31.02$37.272702% below
Kokomo$20.75$29.33$32.73$45.671203% below
Terre Haute$18.72$29.12$33.17$38.752804% below
Fort Wayne$21.54$29.04$31.36$37.081,2404% below
Cincinnati$21.24$28.90$30.29$38.344,6104% below
Muncie$20.29$28.79$32.68$35.711605% below
Louisville$18.74$27.17$29.18$36.232,99010% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Carpenter wages in Indiana over time

Indiana, 1999-2025IndianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$15$20$25$30$35200020052010201520202025$30.23Indiana$29.12United States
Median hourly wage for carpenters, Indiana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIndiana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.43$31.75$15.3521,890
2000$16.20$30.29$15.6921,920
2001$16.43$29.87$16.0920,330
2002$16.96$30.35$16.4418,990
2003$17.02$29.78$16.4720,210
2004$16.57$28.24$16.7818,550
2005$16.61$27.38$17.1121,120
2006$16.49$26.33$17.5722,710
2007$17.70$27.48$18.1123,860
2008$17.91$26.78$18.7222,160
2009$18.33$27.51$18.9817,280
2010$17.86$26.37$19.0013,470
2011$18.25$26.12$19.2412,740
2012$18.36$25.74$19.2013,020
2013$17.94$24.79$19.4712,690
2014$18.33$24.93$19.6313,080
2015$18.51$25.14$20.2413,440
2016$19.48$26.13$20.9614,280
2017$20.90$27.45$21.7114,710
2018$22.49$28.83$22.4014,290
2019$22.82$28.74$23.2413,920
2020$22.77$28.32$23.8112,950
2021$23.11$27.46$23.2013,360
2022$24.24$26.67$24.7114,630
2023$26.48$27.98$27.0914,860
2024$29.09$29.86$28.5115,200
2025$30.23$30.23$29.1215,240

In today's dollars, the median carpenter wage in Indiana changed by +20.2% over the last ten years of data and by +5.2% since 2019.

Are there more carpenter jobs in Indiana?

+9.5%Jobs since 201913,920 then, 15,240 in 2025
+13.4%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey
4.8Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.1× the US share, 25th of 51 states

Since 1999, the number of carpenters counted in Indiana has changed by -30.4%, against -13.1% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +9.5%.

Carpenters in Indiana vs United States, 1999 = 100IndianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages507510012515020002005201020152020202587United States70Indiana
Jobs counted by the BLS employer survey, Indiana vs United States, indexed to 1999 = 100. Shaded bands mark survey method changes.
Table
YearIndiana jobsIndiana indexUS index
199921,890100100
200021,920100111
200120,33093110
200218,99087111
200320,21092110
200418,55085114
200521,12096121
200622,710104128
200723,860109126
200822,160101117
200917,2807996
201013,4706280
201112,7405875
201213,0206074
201312,6905875
201413,0806080
201513,4406183
201614,2806588
201714,7106790
201814,2906593
201913,9206495
202012,9505991
202113,3606187
202214,6306790
202314,8606891
202415,2006990
202515,2407087

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Outlook for carpenters in Indiana

+4.6%Projected growth in Indiana2024–2034, state agency
1,530Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
19,760Jobs in 202420,680 projected for 2034
+3.9%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Indiana's labor market agency projects the number of carpenters in the state to change by +4.6% between 2024 and 2034, from 19,760 to 20,680, with about 1,530 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.9% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 15,240 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Indiana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for carpenters in Indiana

On federally funded construction in Indiana, contractors must pay carpenters at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 89 of the 92 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $57.66 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $10.24). 3 of the 92 counties still use a survey rate dated 1995 or earlier (for example Jefferson County at $10.24). The market median for the state is $30.23.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, INAdams: $57.66 (union)Allen: $57.66 (union)Bartholomew: $57.66 (union)Benton: $57.66 (union)Blackford: $57.66 (union)Boone: $57.66 (union)Brown: $57.66 (union)Carroll: $57.66 (union)Cass: $57.66 (union)Clark: $57.66 (union)Clay: $57.66 (union)Clinton: $57.66 (union)Crawford: $56.99 (union)Daviess: $59.54 (union)Dearborn: $57.66 (union)Decatur: $57.66 (union)DeKalb: $57.66 (union)Delaware: $57.66 (union)Dubois: $59.59 (union)Elkhart: $59.35 (union)Fayette: $57.66 (union)Floyd: $57.66 (union)Fountain: $57.66 (union)Franklin: $57.66 (union)Fulton: $57.66 (union)Gibson: $57.66 (union)Grant: $57.66 (union)Greene: $57.66 (union)Hamilton: $57.66 (union)Hancock: $57.66 (union)Harrison: $57.66 (union)Hendricks: $57.66 (union)Henry: $57.66 (union)Howard: $57.66 (union)Huntington: $57.66 (union)Jackson: $58.21 (union)Jasper: $59.35 (union)Jay: $57.66 (union)Jefferson: $10.24 (survey)Jennings: $57.66 (union)Johnson: $57.66 (union)Knox: $59.54 (union)Kosciusko: $59.35 (union)LaGrange: $59.35 (union)Lake: $60.68 (union)LaPorte: $60.68 (union)Lawrence: $59.54 (union)Madison: $57.66 (union)Marion: $57.66 (union)Marshall: $59.35 (union)Martin: $59.54 (union)Miami: $57.66 (union)Monroe: $57.66 (union)Montgomery: $57.66 (union)Morgan: $57.66 (union)Newton: $59.35 (union)Noble: $57.66 (union)Ohio: $57.66 (union)Orange: $57.65 (union)Owen: $57.66 (union)Parke: $57.66 (union)Perry: $56.99 (union)Pike: $59.59 (union)Porter: $60.68 (union)Posey: $57.66 (union)Pulaski: $59.35 (union)Putnam: $57.66 (union)Randolph: $57.66 (union)Ripley: $57.66 (union)Rush: $57.66 (union)St. Joseph: $60.68 (union)Scott: $10.24 (survey)Shelby: $57.66 (union)Spencer: $15.61 (survey)Starke: $59.35 (union)Steuben: $57.66 (union)Sullivan: $57.66 (union)Switzerland: $57.66 (union)Tippecanoe: $57.66 (union)Tipton: $57.66 (union)Union: $57.66 (union)Vanderburgh: $57.66 (union)Vermillion: $57.66 (union)Vigo: $57.66 (union)Wabash: $57.66 (union)Warren: $57.66 (union)Warrick: $57.66 (union)Washington: $57.65 (union)Wayne: $57.66 (union)Wells: $57.66 (union)White: $57.66 (union)Whitley: $57.66 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$57.66$58.10survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for carpenters by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$30$40$50$60$70/hrSt. Joseph (South Bend): market median $29.66, prevailing (union) $60.68, gap +$31.02St. Joseph (South Bend)+$31.02Clark (Louisville): market median $27.17, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$30.49Clark (Louisville)+$30.49Delaware (Muncie): market median $28.79, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.87Delaware (Muncie)+$28.87Dearborn (Cincinnati): market median $28.90, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.76Dearborn (Cincinnati)+$28.76Allen (Fort Wayne): market median $29.04, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.62Allen (Fort Wayne)+$28.62Clay (Terre Haute): market median $29.12, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.54Clay (Terre Haute)+$28.54Howard (Kokomo): market median $29.33, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.33Howard (Kokomo)+$28.33Monroe (Bloomington): market median $29.50, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$28.16Monroe (Bloomington)+$28.16Elkhart (Elkhart): market median $31.50, prevailing (union) $59.35, gap +$27.85Elkhart (Elkhart)+$27.85Benton (Lafayette): market median $30.31, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$27.35Benton (Lafayette)+$27.35Posey (Evansville): market median $31.10, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$26.56Posey (Evansville)+$26.56Boone (Indianapolis): market median $31.28, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$26.38Boone (Indianapolis)+$26.38Bartholomew (Columbus): market median $32.59, prevailing (union) $57.66, gap +$25.07Bartholomew (Columbus)+$25.07Lake (Chicago): market median $38.68, prevailing (union) $60.68, gap +$22.00Lake (Chicago)+$22.00LaPorte (Michigan City): market median $44.22, prevailing (union) $60.68, gap +$16.46LaPorte (Michigan City)+$16.46
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for carpenters, metro counties in Indiana.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
LakeUnion CARP0413-002 2025-06-01$34.70$25.98$60.68IN20260001
LaPorteUnion CARP0413-002 2025-06-01$34.70$25.98$60.68IN20260001
PorterUnion CARP0413-002 2025-06-01$34.70$25.98$60.68IN20260001
St. JosephUnion CARP0413-002 2025-06-01$34.70$25.98$60.68IN20260001
DuboisUnion CARP0224-013 2025-04-01$33.09$26.50$59.59IN20260014
PikeUnion CARP0224-013 2025-04-01$33.09$26.50$59.59IN20260014
DaviessUnion CARP0224-008 2025-04-01$33.08$26.46$59.54IN20260008
KnoxUnion CARP0224-009 2025-04-01$33.08$26.46$59.54IN20260009
LawrenceUnion CARP0224-007 2025-04-01$33.08$26.46$59.54IN20260013
MartinUnion CARP0224-008 2025-04-01$33.08$26.46$59.54IN20260008
ElkhartUnion CARP0232-002 2025-06-01$33.42$25.93$59.35IN20260005
JasperUnion CARP0232-002 2025-06-01$33.42$25.93$59.35IN20260005
KosciuskoUnion CARP0232-002 2025-06-01$33.42$25.93$59.35IN20260005
LaGrangeUnion CARP0232-002 2025-06-01$33.42$25.93$59.35IN20260005
MarshallUnion CARP0232-002 2025-06-01$33.42$25.93$59.35IN20260005

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Indiana prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Indiana?

185.6kConstruction jobsIndiana, 2026-09
+2.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025186kSep 2026
Construction employment in Indiana (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Carpenter pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Indiana

More on Indiana

Questions this page answers

How much do carpenters make in Indiana?

The median carpenter in Indiana earned $30.23 an hour ($62,870 a year) in May 2025, 4% above the national median of $29.12. The middle half earn $24.01–$36.95; the top 10% earn more than $43.60.

Where does Indiana rank for carpenter pay?

Indiana ranks 12th of 51 states for carpenter pay, with a median of $30.23 an hour, and 7th after adjusting for Indiana's cost of living (BEA price parity 93.3, US = 100).

What is the union carpenter rate in Indiana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for carpenters in 89 counties, with a typical package of $57.66 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many carpenters work in Indiana?

BLS counted 15,240 carpenters in Indiana in May 2025, 4.8 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.10; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is carpenter work growing in Indiana?

The BLS employer survey count of carpenters in Indiana went from 13,440 in 2015 to 15,240 in 2025, +13.4%, and +9.5% since 2019. Indiana's labor market agency projects +4.6% growth for carpenters between 2024 and 2034, from 19,760 to 20,680 jobs.

How many carpenter openings a year are there in Indiana?

Indiana projects about 1,530 openings a year for carpenters over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 62,800 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Indiana and metro areas, SOC 47-2031. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Indiana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.