Carpenter.
Tampa.
$57,000
median salary, 3% below the national average
$47,000 to $74,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
The median Carpenter salary in Tampa is $57,000, 3% below the national average. Entry level starts near $47,000. Experienced professionals push past $74,000. Tampa's economy combines a strong financial services sector with growing tech, healthcare, and defense industries. That spread is your negotiation window. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Carpenter in Tampa, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $52,130 for Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metropolitan area, based on 6,010 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$37,180
25th percentile
$46,960
Median
$52,130
75th percentile
$60,960
90th percentile
$69,950
Workers surveyed
6,010
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Carpenters (SOC 47-2031) rather than Carpenter specifically. The Tampa range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 47-2031Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $51,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$37,000
to $46,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$48,000
to $60,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$63,000
to $74,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$71,000
to $88,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $16,000 to the total package.
Base
$57,000
Equity
$9,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$1,000
Estimated total: $73,000
How Tampa compares.
Tampa, FL
$57,000
Cost of living: 4% below average
National Average
$59,000
Tampa is $2,000 below
Carpenter salary by city.
Salary by role in Tampa.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Carpenter roles in Tampa, here is what you are walking into. Tampa's economy combines a strong financial services sector with growing tech, healthcare, and defense industries. The city has attracted remote workers and corporate relocations seeking Florida's tax advantages. Tampa offers a favorable salary to cost of living ratio, with compensation levels that have risen significantly as the metro continues to grow. Finish carpenters specializing in custom cabinetry, trim, and millwork earn 15 to 25% more than rough framing carpenters. Union membership in metropolitan areas provides the strongest hourly rate floors. Carpenters with concrete formwork expertise for commercial high-rise projects command premium rates due to the physical demands and precision required.
Carpenter apprentices start at $30,000 to $36,000 during their three to four year training period. Journeyman carpenters earn $42,000 to $58,000, while foremen and lead carpenters reach $60,000 to $78,000. General contractors with carpentry backgrounds often earn $85,000 to $130,000 running their own operations. In Tampa, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Union carpenters receive benefits packages worth $12,000 to $20,000 annually including health insurance, pension, and training funds. Overtime on commercial projects adds $5,000 to $12,000 per year, with prevailing wage jobs offering the best hourly rates. And on the tax side: florida has no state income tax, which is Tampa's biggest compensation advantage. There are no local income taxes either. Property taxes and insurance costs are the main financial considerations. When someone quotes you $57,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Frame your salary expectations against the no income tax benefit. Tampa employers know candidates are factoring in the tax savings, so be explicit about how it shapes your number. The range for Carpenters in Tampa runs from $47,000 to $74,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An Insurance Agent in Tampa earns $56,000 (2% less)
- The highest-paying role in Tampa is General Counsel at $280,000
Common questions.
Carpenter salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Tampa.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Carpenters in Tampa.
Related tools.
Do you work as a carpenter in Tampa?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Carpenter Salary in Tampa, FL." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/carpenter/tampa
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools