Am I the only one who just found out the average carpenter in my state makes 15% less than the national median?

I was looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics site for a totally different reason and that stat just jumped out at me, so what's the deal with pay in your area?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_lewis5d ago

Wait, that's the median wage, not what people actually charge. Big difference.

the_rowan5d ago

Yeah, I looked up pressure washing rates here once and almost cried. The average in my county is like 30 bucks an hour, which is a joke when you see what some guys charge in big cities. Makes you wonder who sets these numbers.

margaretramirez5d ago

Ben_lewis has a point about the median wage not showing the full picture. Those numbers often miss the big gap between what a company pays an employee and what a self-employed person charges. The cost of living in an area changes everything too. A carpenter in a small town can't ask for city rates, even if the skill is the same. The stats just give a flat number that doesn't explain any of that real life stuff.