- The middle half earn between $22.85 and $38.74 an hour.
- Missouri ranks 22nd of the 50 states and DC for median pay in this trade.
- Missouri pays more than 7 of its 8 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 14,410 carpenters on payrolls in Missouri.
- At the state median wage, a carpentry or remodeling business needs to bill about $121.96 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Carpenter pay in Missouri, bottom to top
The BLS carpenter group covers framing, finish and remodel carpenters, on homes and on commercial jobs.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.60 | $38,700 | $19.43 |
| 25th percentile | $22.85 | $47,520 | $23.32 |
| Median | $29.25 | $60,840 | $29.12 |
| 75th percentile | $38.74 | $80,570 | $36.94 |
| 90th percentile | $46.30 | $96,310 | $48.03 |
| Average (mean) | $31.25 | $65,000 | $31.55 |
From the bottom tenth ($18.60) to the top tenth ($46.30), the top of the scale pays about 2.5 times the bottom in Missouri, close to the 2.5 times spread for carpenters nationwide.
Both ends trail the national figures. The bottom tenth earn $0.83 an hour less than the bottom tenth nationally, and the top tenth $1.73 less than the national top tenth.
The average, $31.25, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How Missouri compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $60,840 in Missouri against $60,580 nationally, $260 more.
In the state ranking, Missouri sits 22nd, between New Hampshire ($29.42) and Ohio ($29.24). Rhode Island has exactly the same median, $29.25, so the two share that place. The range runs from $22.55 in Oklahoma to $41.00 in Hawaii.
Against its neighboring states, Missouri is in the middle: Illinois pays more, and Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Tennessee pay less.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Missouri |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | $29.25 | $60,840 | |
| Arkansas | $22.96 | $47,760 | −$6.29 an hour |
| Illinois | $37.98 | $79,000 | +$8.73 an hour |
| Iowa | $27.75 | $57,710 | −$1.50 an hour |
| Kansas | $27.39 | $56,960 | −$1.86 an hour |
| Kentucky | $25.33 | $52,680 | −$3.92 an hour |
| Nebraska | $24.19 | $50,320 | −$5.06 an hour |
| Oklahoma | $22.55 | $46,910 | −$6.70 an hour |
| Tennessee | $24.44 | $50,830 | −$4.81 an hour |
How many carpenters work in Missouri
About 14,410 carpenters work on payrolls in Missouri, 2.2% of the 670,090 nationwide, the 17th largest count among the states.
That is 4.9 of every 1,000 jobs in Missouri, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a carpentry or remodeling business in Missouri should charge
Say you run a carpentry or remodeling business in Missouri and pay the state median of $29.25 an hour. Here is the labor rate calculator's math on its starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $29.25 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $65,494 |
| Break-even rate | ($65,494 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $103.66 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $103.66 ÷ 0.85 | $121.96 |
That is $121.96 per billable hour, 4.2 times the wage, and almost the same as the $121.73 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $38.74 in Missouri, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $138.62.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $22.85, the rate only drops to $110.72.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a carpenter in Missouri
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how remodelers run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2031, carpenters, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: carpenter salary by state.