Carpenters salary in Milwaukee, WI

Median pay for carpenters in Milwaukee, WI: $60,260/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $39,460 – $89,620 · about 3,600 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($49,990) by +$10,270 (+21%).

What it's really worth in Milwaukee

With Milwaukee's cost of living at 96 (US=100), that $60,260 has the buying power of about $62,986 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $72,937 · median home $390,238 · median rent $1,538/mo.

Full Milwaukee cost of living & taxes →

How Milwaukee ranks for this job

On raw pay, Milwaukee, WI is 42nd of the 187 metros we hold carpenters wages for. Once Milwaukee's cost of living is applied, it ranks 27th.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Milwaukee sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Milwaukee

A median home in Milwaukee, WI costs $390,238 — about 6.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,538/mo works out at 31% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where carpenters earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Milwaukee.

Metro	Median pay	vs Milwaukee	Rent vs Milwaukee
Honolulu, HI	$90,030	+49%	1.9×
Santa Rosa, CA	$80,260	+33%	1.7×
San Francisco, CA	$79,730	+32%	2.1×
San Jose, CA	$75,600	+25%	2.4×

Same job elsewhere in WI

Metro	Median pay	vs Milwaukee	Rent vs Milwaukee
Appleton, WI	$61,120	+1%	0.8×
Madison, WI	$60,850	+1%	1.1×
Green Bay, WI	$59,280	−2%	0.8×

Staying in WI keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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