SOC 47-2031 · Construction and Extraction Occupations · May 2025

How much do Carpenters make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Carpenters in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $55,840. The 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,980. Employment is 260.

Median annual wage

$55,840

10th percentile
$38,870
25th percentile
$47,980
Median
$55,840
75th percentile
$62,000
90th percentile
$78,980
Mean
$56,780

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

An electrician connecting a generator to a home electrical panel
An electrician at a home electrical panel. Photograph by editor B. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Carpenters, the published 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,980. The difference is $40,110, which is 71.8% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $47,980 to the 75th at $62,000, covers $14,020.

The mean annual wage is $56,780, which sits above the median of $55,840. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA median is 7.8% lower than the national median of $60,580 for Carpenters. In 2024 national prices the local median is $64,142, which is 5.9% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.2% lower than the Iowa median of $57,710.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 87.057, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $55,840 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Carpenters at $64,142 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

16 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Carpenters. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA ranks 14th of 17 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Cedar Rapids, IA is 53 miles away, with a median of $58,920 and employment of 530. That median is 5.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $66,230, against $64,142 here.
  • Ames, IA is 72 miles away, with a median of $55,640 and employment of 210. That median is 0.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $62,636, against $64,142 here.
  • Dubuque, IA is 81 miles away, with a median of $60,090 and employment of 260. That median is 7.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $68,810, against $64,142 here.

Employment share

Carpenters accounts for 0.31% of wage-and-salary employment in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA (260 of 84,260). Nationally the occupation is 0.43% of employment (670,090 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.72 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA · Carpenters by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Carpenters make in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Carpenters in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is $55,840. The 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,980. Employment is 260.

How does that compare with the national median for Carpenters?

The local median is 7.8% lower than the national median of $60,580.

What is Carpenters pay in Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA is 87.057, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $55,840 is $64,142. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA compare with nearby metros for Carpenters?

Cedar Rapids, IA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 53 miles away, at $58,920. Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA ranks 14th of 17 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.