Running a carpentry business in Charleston, SC
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area has about 1,240 carpenters. The median wage is $24.22 an hour, so half earn more and half earn less. That's in line with the South Carolina median of $24.36. Nationally, the median is $29.12, so Charleston pays 17% less.
Market snapshot
- Carpenters employed in the metro area
- 1,240
- Median hourly wage
- $24.22
- Middle 50% earn
- $21.37 to $29.52 an hour
- Median annual wage
- $50,380
- South Carolina median hourly wage
- $24.36
- U.S. median hourly wage
- $29.12
- Job concentration
- 0.73× the national share
- Finish carpentry contractors in the metro area
- 97
- Charleston population
- 154,338
- Median year homes were built in Charleston
- 1995
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 Charleston ranks in South Carolina
- #2 of 8 South Carolina metros for the number of carpenters
- #2 of 8 for median hourly wage
Carpentry in nearby cities
| City | Workers in the metro | Median hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| Hilton Head Island, SC | 440 | $23.59 |
| Sumter, SC | 70 | $21.97 |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | 510 | $22.96 |
| Savannah, GA | 330 | $21.59 |
| Florence, SC | 130 | $23.68 |
| Columbia, SC | 880 | $23.11 |
How Tradesman helps carpentry businesses in Charleston
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 Charleston
How much do carpenters make in Charleston?
In May 2025, the median wage for carpenters in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area was $24.22 an hour. The middle half earned between $21.37 and $29.52 an hour.
How many carpenters work in Charleston?
About 1,240 carpenters worked in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
How many finish carpentry contractors are in Charleston?
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area had 97 establishments classified as finish carpentry contractors in 2023, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns.
Sources
Figures cover the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro area unless they name Charleston. Wages are for employees, not business owners.
Run your carpentry business in Charleston from one place.
Estimates, scheduling, dispatch and payments in one app. Setup takes about five minutes.