Select a program of interest to explore trade schools that match your goals.
Quick answer: Carpenters in California earn a median of $75,920 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited carpenter schools in California with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.
Carpenter training in California prepares students for entry-level work across the wider California labor market. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $75,920 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State median annual wage | $75,920 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| California pay range (10th to 90th percentile) | $47,490 to $119,950 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Top-paying California metro for this field | San Francisco, CA, $89,200 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| National job outlook (2024 to 2034) | +4.5% growth, about 74,100 openings per year | BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034 |
| Federal prevailing wage in California (Davis-Bacon) | $65.33 per hour total | DOL WHD Davis-Bacon, 2026 |
| State employment | 100,750 workers | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| California location quotient | 1.28 | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the California figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.
This page lists 12 schools within 246 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $40,410 |
| 25th | $48,510 |
| 50th (median) | $60,580 |
| 75th | $76,830 |
| 90th | $99,910 |
| Year | Employment |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 959,000 |
| 2034 projected | 1,002,100 |
| Percent change | +4.5% |
Carpenter certificate programs in California typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Many carpenters also enter the field through a registered apprenticeship, which combines paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction and usually takes 3 to 5 years to complete. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.
According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), carpenters in California earned a median annual wage of approximately $75,920. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $47,490 to $119,950 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
| Data | Provider | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 |
| Employment Projections | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2024-2034 |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) | 2024 |
| College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release |
| College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release (updated 2026-06-12) |
| Occupational licensing requirements | CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2026-02-22) |
| Registered apprenticeship programs | CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2025-10-25) |
