Running a carpentry business in Boston, MA
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area has about 12,720 carpenters. The median wage is $36.16 an hour, so half earn more and half earn less. That's in line with the Massachusetts median of $36.16. Nationally, the median is $29.12, so Boston pays 24% more.
Market snapshot
- Carpenters employed in the metro area
- 12,720
- Median hourly wage
- $36.16
- Middle 50% earn
- $29.26 to $47.47 an hour
- Median annual wage
- $75,210
- Massachusetts median hourly wage
- $36.16
- U.S. median hourly wage
- $29.12
- Job concentration
- 1.09× the national share
- Finish carpentry contractors in the metro area
- 639
- Boston population
- 666,442
- Median year homes were built in Boston
- 1947
Job concentration compares the share of local jobs held by carpenters with the share nationwide. Above 1 means the trade is more concentrated here than average.
How Boston ranks in Massachusetts
- #1 of 6 Massachusetts metros for the number of carpenters
- #2 of 6 for median hourly wage
Carpentry in nearby cities
| City | Workers in the metro | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester, MA | 1,590 | $35.10 |
| Providence, RI | 4,140 | $29.76 |
| Manchester, NH | 820 | $29.47 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | 1,280 | $33.93 |
| Amherst Town, MA | 350 | $32.13 |
| Norwich, CT | 740 | $31.01 |
How Tradesman helps carpentry businesses in Boston
Materials and labor on one estimate
Separate labor lines from materials, add your scope of work, and send a clean PDF the customer can approve online.
Track every hour on custom work
Clock time against each job so you know how long built-ins really take and can price the next one with confidence.
Keep an order list
Add lumber and hardware to a shared order list for the job, then mark it ordered and received.
Questions about carpentry in Boston
How much do carpenters make in Boston?
In May 2025, the median wage for carpenters in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area was $36.16 an hour. The middle half earned between $29.26 and $47.47 an hour.
How many carpenters work in Boston?
About 12,720 carpenters worked in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How many finish carpentry contractors are in Boston?
The Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area had 639 establishments classified as finish carpentry contractors in 2023, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
Sources
Figures cover the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area unless they name Boston. Wages are for employees, not business owners.
Run your carpentry business in Boston from one place.
Estimates, scheduling, dispatch and payments in one app. Setup takes about five minutes.