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JakartaWhy Carpenter pay in San Antonio sits 18% below the United States average
San Antonio, TX posts a carpenter median of $54,200, which is 18% under the United States average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $1,650/month close that gap in real life.
Carpenters build and repair structures and fixtures from wood and other materials. Trade pay in San Antonio, TX often includes overtime and project premiums that a salaried median understates. Use $54,200 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 San Antonio, TX hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Carpenter in San Antonio, TX, 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, San Antonio ranks 7 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $87,300 (+61% vs San Antonio), 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.
San Antonio’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($54,200 vs $54,200). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 40% of take-home, with leftover near $660.
If you are comparing a San Antonio office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $66,200. Local pay is 18% lower — a $12,000 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in San Antonio 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 0.6× 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 San Antonio
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $54,200, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $54,200 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 8%, leaving $49,876 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because the 90th percentile is about 2.0× the 10th, two carpenter jobs in San Antonio can be different careers that share a title. Ask what sits in the package (bonus, overtime, equity, on-call) before you treat $54,200 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 San Antonio will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow San Antonio’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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