Carpenter Salary in Springfield, MA: Median $55,223 in 2026
Springfield (MA) · COL index 98 · Unemployment 4.8% · Metro pop 700,000 · Rank #143 of 283 for Carpenter salary
A Carpenter in Springfield earns an estimated median of $55,223 per year. That figure starts from the Massachusetts state-level BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median[1]($60,675) and scales it by Springfield's composite cost-of-living index of 98 (US = 100). The 10th percentile comes in around $37,125; the 90th percentile reaches $87,210. After federal, Massachusetts state, and FICA taxes, a single-filer Carpenter takes home approximately $43,959/year — about $3,663/month or $1,691 every other week.
Compared to the national Carpenter median of $56,350, Springfield pays -2.0%. Relative to the Springfield median household income of $54,200, a Carpentersalary runs +1.9%. Local unemployment is 4.8%[3], with an estimated 209 annual Carpenter openings inferred from metro population share and national employment (667,400).
Carpenter Snapshot — Springfield (2026)
Every row cites a primary public dataset. Rent + home values use Zillow where the metro is in the ZHVI/ZORI coverage set; otherwise ACS + census tract fallbacks.
| Metric | Springfield | National | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter median salary | $55,223 | $56,350 | [1] |
| 10th percentile | $37,125 | $40,790 | [1] |
| 90th percentile | $87,210 | $95,820 | [1] |
| Annual take-home (single filer) | $43,959 | — | [8][10] |
| Median home value (ZHVI) | $366,074 | — | [5] |
| Median rent (ZORI) | $1,913/mo | — | [5] |
| HUD Fair Market Rent (2BR) | $1,750/mo | — | [6] |
| Median household income (ACS) | $70,535 | — | [7] |
| Cost-of-living index | 98.0 | 100.0 | [4] |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | — | [3] |
How Carpenter Salaries Work in Springfield
City-level wages aren't published directly by BLS for most SOC codes. We build them by anchoring to the Massachusetts state-level OEWS median ($60,675) and scaling by Springfield's composite cost-of-living index (98)[1][4]. That index combines Census ACS rent, Zillow ZHVI, BLS CPI, and AdvisorSmith / ApartmentAdvisor inputs to produce one number per metro. When BLS publishes a separate metro-level wage (MSA-level OEWS), that takes priority — a handful of large metros including New York, LA, Chicago, and DC have this coverage.
On top of the gross wage, the standard US payroll stack applies: federal income tax using 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction[8], FICA (Social Security 6.2% up to $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45%)[9], and Massachusetts state income tax at a 4.6% effective rate ($2,541/yr on the $55,223 median)[10].
Springfield also sits inside a larger metro labor market where commute patterns, remote-work policies, and adjacent-metro wages compete. Near-national unemployment means a balanced market — employers and candidates negotiate from roughly equal positions. Median household income in the metro is $70,535, which frames what "a good Carpenter salary" means locally: a $$55,223 wage pays about 78% of the median household income on a single earner.
The deterministic identity: take_home = gross − federal − state − FICA − pre_tax. All math runs client-side; nothing is sent to our servers.
Cost of Living Breakdown — Springfield
Estimated annual expense shares on a $43,959 take-home, using BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey baseline shares scaled to Springfield's COL index of 98. Housing uses the actual median rent.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares[1], scaled by Springfield's COL index of 98[4]. Housing uses actual median rent of $1,150/month.
Salary vs Housing Affordability in Springfield
Renting
Buying
At $3,663/mo take-home, the 30% rent rule caps housing at $1,099/mo. Springfield's typical 1–2BR rent runs $1,913/mo[5] (HUD 2BR FMR: $1,750/mo), making rent very affordable on a median Carpenter salary. For homebuyers, the 5.0× price-to-income ratio is workable with a strong credit profile and manageable other debts.
How Springfield Stacks Up for Carpenters
Against 283 major US cities: Springfield ranks #143 for nominal Carpenter salary, #104 for rent affordability, and #139 for overall purchasing power. High cost of living absorbs much of Springfield's nominal wage premium. Carpenters here often trade pay for lifestyle, proximity to employers, or family roots — consider nearby metros on a salary-to-COL basis.
Nearby Cities — Carpenter Salary Comparison
Springfield's closest metros, scaled by each city's cost-of-living index. Useful for relocation decisions where commute or remote-work policies allow a neighboring metro trade-off.
| City | Est. salary | COL | Rent | vs MA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, MA ★ | $55,223 | 98 | $1,150 | — |
| Boston, MA | $91,287 | 162 | $2,750 | +65.3% |
| Worcester, MA | $65,366 | 116 | $1,650 | +18.4% |
| Lowell, MA | $66,493 | 118 | $1,650 | +20.4% |
| Cambridge, MA | $100,303 | 178 | $3,100 | +81.6% |
| Allentown, PA | $55,223 | 98 | $1,200 | +0.0% |
Carpenter Job Market in Springfield
Springfield has an estimated 209 annual Carpenteropenings, extrapolated from the metro's share of 667,400 national Carpenters[1]. The 4.8% unemployment rate[3] is near the national average, with steady turnover across most sectors.
About the profession: Carpenters construct, install, and repair structures and fixtures made of wood and other materials in residential and commercial construction. Typical entry requirement: high school diploma / apprenticeship. Projected growth through 2034: 3%[2].
Career Progression & Related Professions in Springfield
Early-career Carpenters in Springfield start around $37,125, reach the city median ($55,223) after 4–8 years, and hit 90th-percentile territory ($87,210) at senior / specialized levels.
Related trades professions in Springfield
Calculators for Carpenters in Springfield
Other professions in Springfield
Frequently Asked Questions — Carpenter in Springfield
How much does a Carpenter make in Springfield, MA?
The estimated median salary for a Carpenter in Springfield is $55,223/year, scaled from the national median ($56,350) by Springfield's composite cost-of-living index of 98 (US = 100). After federal, Massachusetts state, and FICA taxes, take-home is approximately $43,959/year or $3,663/month.
Can a Carpenter afford to live in Springfield?
On $3,663/month take-home, the 30% rent rule affords $1,099/month. Springfield's Zillow ZORI median rent is $1,913/mo, HUD's 2BR Fair Market Rent is $1,750/mo. The rent-to-income ratio works out to 25.0%, making housing very affordable for a Carpenter at the local median. Home-buyers face 5.0× price-to-income, needing roughly 5.0 years to save a 20% down payment at a 20% savings rate.
How much tax does a Carpenter pay in Springfield?
On $55,223 gross, a Carpenter in Springfield pays approximately $4,498 in federal income tax (8.1% effective), $2,541 in Massachusetts state income tax (4.6% effective), and $4,225 in FICA (Social Security + Medicare). Total effective rate: 20.4%. Some Massachusetts cities levy local income taxes in addition; check your municipal DoR before filing.
How does Springfield rank for Carpenter salaries vs other cities?
Springfield ranks #143 out of 283 tracked metros for nominal Carpenter salary, #104 for rent affordability (rent-to-income), and #139 for purchasing power (salary ÷ COL). The high-purchasing-power cities tend to be mid-size metros with strong local employers and moderate housing costs; the low-ranked cities trade high nominal pay for steep rents.
What is the cost-of-living breakdown for a Carpenter in Springfield?
On $43,959 take-home, a reasonable baseline budget for Springfield looks like: housing $13,800/yr (31.4%); food $5,212/yr; transportation $4,361/yr; healthcare $3,059/yr; utilities $2,176/yr; savings + discretionary $15,351/yr. Numbers use BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey shares scaled to Springfield's COL index of 98 and the city's actual median rent.
What's the Carpenter job market like in Springfield?
Springfield's unemployment rate is 4.8% across the metro of 700,000. Estimated annual Carpenter openings: ~209 (extrapolated from 667,400 nationally employed and the metro's population share). The market is near national averages with steady turnover.
Do Springfield employers pay above or below the Massachusetts median for Carpenters?
Not consistently — Springfield's estimated Carpenter median of $55,223 is 2.0% below the national median. The trade-off is usually lower rents and (in some cases) lower state taxes, which can leave real purchasing power competitive.
Methodology — How we compute this page
Wage estimate. The Springfield median is derived from the Massachusetts state-level BLS OEWS median ($60,675), scaled by Springfield's composite cost-of-living index of 98. When BLS publishes a direct MSA-level wage for the occupation, that takes priority over the scaled state median. Percentile bands inherit the same scale factor.
Housing + rent. Median home value uses Zillow ZHVI; median rent prefers Zillow ZORI and falls back to Census ACS median gross rent. HUD Fair Market Rents (50th-percentile 2BR) are shown where HUD publishes the metro. Price-to-income and rent-to-income ratios use the estimated Carpentermedian (not the city's overall median household income) — to reflect the specific role-vs-city affordability picture.
Tax math. Federal tax uses 2025 IRS brackets and the $15,000 single standard deduction. FICA is Social Security 6.2% up to the $176,100 wage base + Medicare 1.45% (+ 0.9% Additional Medicare above $200,000). State tax uses Massachusetts's 2026 brackets from the state DoR (mirrored via Tax Foundation where the DoR's publication is paywalled or split). Local income taxes (e.g. NYC, Portland-OR supplemental, OH municipal) are NOT included — check your municipal authority for specifics.
Cost of living. The 98index is the composite used by CalcFi's /data/cities.ts, which merges Census ACS, BLS CPI shelter, Zillow ZORI, and commercial COL estimators. The COL-adjusted salary on this page assumes the statewide RPP = 107.7(BEA) approximates the state's purchasing power; cities are then scaled relative to that.
Refresh cadence. BLS OEWS releases annually (typically March); BEA RPP releases annually in December; IRS brackets adjust in October; Zillow ZHVI/ZORI updates monthly; HUD FMR publishes annually in August for the upcoming fiscal year. The dateModified shown above auto-bumps to the most recent retrievedAt on any sourced value the page consumes.
Known limits. Metro-level OEWS coverage is partial — only ~50 large MSAs have separately published occupation wages; the rest inherit state-level estimates scaled by COL. Rent and home data may trail the real-time market by 1–3 months (Zillow) or 8–12 months (ACS). Rankings are capped to the city set in our dataset (283 metros), not every incorporated US city.
Sources
Every number on this page cites a primary public dataset. Last reviewed (auto-bumped on the next ISR refresh after an ETL run).
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — state-level occupational wages — www.bls.gov/oes. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- BLS Employment Projections — 2024–34 occupational growth rates — www.bls.gov/emp. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics — metro-level unemployment rate — www.bls.gov/lau. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (state + metro) — www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- Zillow Research — ZHVI (home value index) + ZORI (observed rent index) — www.zillow.com/research/data. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- HUD Fair Market Rents — 50th-percentile 2-bedroom FY — www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, metro level — www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- Internal Revenue Service — Federal individual income tax brackets and standard deductions — www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- Social Security Administration — OASDI / Medicare contribution and wage-base rules — www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue — 2026 individual income tax brackets (accessed via Tax Foundation mirror) — taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
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