So how Much Do Carpenters Make?Most carpenters in Canada earn between $22 and $44 an hour, and the median is about $32. Job Bank reports those figures, using Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey for 2023–2024. They’re wages, though. What a carpenter charges you for a job is a different number, and it’s usually a lot higher.
That difference is what trips up most homeowners, landlords, and business owners when they start budgeting. So this guide covers both: what carpenters earn, and why the quote in your inbox looks nothing like an hourly wage.
How Much Do Carpenters Make? by Province.
Location changes the picture. This is what Job Bank shows for carpenters (NOC 72310), reference period 2023–2024:
| Region | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $22.00 | $32.12 | $44.23 |
| Alberta | $22.22 | $34.00 | $42.00 |
| Ontario | $22.00 | $32.00 | $48.00 |
| British Columbia | $23.00 | $32.00 | $43.71 |
| Saskatchewan | $19.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 |
| Manitoba | $20.00 | $27.00 | $38.99 |
| Nova Scotia | $20.00 | $25.00 | $33.80 |
| New Brunswick | $18.00 | $24.00 | $34.00 |
Source: Job Bank, Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey. All figures are hourly and cover 2023–2024, so look at Job Bank for newer numbers.
Cities differ from their own province, too. In Ontario, Job Bank lists a median of $36 an hour for the Toronto region and $28 for Ottawa.
How Much a Carpenter Makes an Hour
The national median works out to about $32 an hour. Half of carpenters make less, half make more. The low and high numbers show where most people fall, not where the extremes are, so a first-year apprentice or a veteran specialist can sit outside that range.
Alberta’s own wage survey goes a step further. For 2023, it shows starting wages averaging about $29.83 an hour, overall wages about $35.22, and top wages about $39.71. You can see pay rise as a carpenter gains experience.
What Is the Average Wage of Carpenter?
It depends on the source. Job Bank gives a median. Alberta’s survey gives an average. Salary websites publish their own figures, often based on job ads or pay that people reported themselves. When two numbers don’t agree, look at who published them, what year they cover, and whether they’re a median or a mean.
Wage figures also leave a few things out:
- Overtime
- Benefits. Job Bank says about 82% of carpenters nationally receive at least one non-wage benefit
- Tool and vehicle costs, which self-employed carpenters pay out of their own pocket
Can a Carpenter Make 100K a Year?
Here’s the math. Take a full-time schedule of 2,080 hours a year (40 hours a week, 52 weeks). These are my own calculations, not published statistics.
- At the national median ($32.12/hr): about $66,800 a year
- At the national high end ($44.23/hr): about $92,000 a year
So $100K on straight-time wages is hard to reach as an employee. Some carpenters get there anyway, usually in one of three ways:
- Supervisory roles. Job Bank puts carpenter supervisors at a median of $38 an hour, with a high of $51.17. At the top of that range, you’d pass $106,000 over 2,080 hours.
- Overtime. Extra hours at the right rate can close the gap.
- Running a business. Revenue can go past $100K, but that’s not the same as take-home pay. Materials, insurance, vehicles, tools, and taxes come out first.
Alberta’s survey reported an average of about $76,478 a year for carpenters, which gives a feel for full-time pay where demand is strong. So $100K is realistic for some carpenters. It just isn’t the norm.
Why Does a Carpenter’s Quote Cost More Than Their Wage?
Wage articles rarely cover this, and it’s the part customers really want to know.
A wage is what a carpenter earns before tax. A quote has to pay for the whole job. A contractor’s price usually covers:
- The carpenter’s labour
- Materials, plus the time spent picking them out and collecting them
- Tools, equipment, and vehicle costs
- Liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage
- Site visits, estimating, and project management
- Cleanup and waste disposal
- Overhead and a profit margin
- Which is why “$32 an hour” and a contractor’s rate can’t be compared directly. They measure different things. And a quote that seems high may just include costs that a cheaper quote quietly leaves out.
How to Compare Carpentry Quotes
Don’t just look at the total. When the quotes arrive check:
- Scope. Do all the quotes describe the same work in the same detail?
- Materials. Who’s buying them, and what grade or brand?
- Insurance and coverage. Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Rules vary by province, so find out what applies where you live.
- Cleanup and disposal. Included or extra?
- Timeline. When can they start, and how long will it run?
- Payment terms. Get them in writing, and ask how changes to the job will be priced.
A quote far below the rest deserves a second look. Often, something has been left out of the scope.
If You Need Painting After the Carpentry
Lots of carpentry jobs finish with paint: new trim, doors, cabinets, patched walls. If you line that up early, you won’t lose time between trades.
Amazing Painter CA offers Professional Painting Service ca for interior and exterior projects, so the painting can follow right after the carpenters wrap up.
Is Carpentry a Good Trade?
If you like practical, hands-on work, it can be. The wage figures above show solid earning potential, and carpenters can move into supervision, specialize, or go out on their own.
There are downsides. The work is physical and often outdoors, with heavy lifting, awkward positions, and weather to deal with. Pay and demand also shift with your region and with how the construction market is doing.
How Do You Become a Carpenter?
Job Bank says the job usually requires an apprenticeship of two or more years, a college diploma, or experience in a supervisory role. Most people start as apprentices, combining paid work on site with classroom training.
Every province and territory sets its own rules for apprenticeships, hours, and certification. Contact your provincial apprenticeship authority for the exact path. (Verify before publishing: the current requirements for the provinces you’re targeting.)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do carpenters make in Canada?
Roughly $22 to $44 an hour, with a national median of about $32, according to Job Bank (2023–2024 data).
Is a carpenter’s hourly wage the same as the rate they charge?
No. A customer’s price also has to cover materials, tools, insurance, travel, overhead, and profit.
Can a carpenter make $100K a year?
Some can, mainly through supervisory work, overtime, a specialty, or a successful business. At the national median wage, full-time pay is closer to $67,000.
Does location affect carpenter pay?
Yes. Job Bank medians run from about $24 an hour in New Brunswick to $34 in Alberta, and cities within a province can differ as well.
Is carpentry a good trade?
It suits people who enjoy hands-on work and can handle the physical demands.
Conclusion
A carpenter’s pay comes down to experience, location, specialty, and whether they work for an employer or for themselves. If you’re a customer, the thing to remember is that a wage and a quote aren’t the same. Compare what each quote includes, and you’ll learn more than you would from comparing hourly numbers.