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JakartaWhy Chicago pays Carpenters 21% above the United States median
A typical carpenter in Chicago, IL earns about $80,400 a year — 21% above the United States median for the same occupation. That premium is real cash, but Chicago’s cost-of-living index is 100 (100 = US baseline), so the extra pay has to be judged against rent and prices, not collected as a pure raise.
Carpenters build and repair structures and fixtures from wood and other materials. Trade pay in Chicago, IL often includes overtime and project premiums that a salaried median understates. Use $80,400 as a full-time baseline, then ask how overtime is paid. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +4% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Chicago, IL hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Carpenter in Chicago, IL, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, Chicago ranks 2 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $87,300 (+9% vs Chicago), while Dallas sits at $48,700. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
Chicago’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($80,400 vs $80,400). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 28% of take-home, with leftover near $2,460.
If you are comparing a Chicago office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $66,200. Local pay is 21% higher — a $14,200 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Chicago are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 14% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 0.9× United States GDP per capita, this median is below national GDP per capita — unusual for a professional median, and a reminder to check hours and setting. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a carpenter offer in Chicago
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $80,400, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $80,400 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 11%, leaving $71,542 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because the 90th percentile is about 2.9× the 10th, two carpenter jobs in Chicago can be different careers that share a title. Ask what sits in the package (bonus, overtime, equity, on-call) before you treat $80,400 as a fair target.
Demand and the carpenter pipeline
Occupation-level employment for carpenters is projected at about +4% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Chicago will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Chicago’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
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