Carpenters in the Bismarck area earn a median of $54,670 a year, 3% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #208 of 390 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Minot and Fargo, but less in Rapid City.
Bismarck scorecard for carpenters Our calculation
Grades compare Bismarck with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($56,155).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Bismarck Our calculation
Prices in Bismarck run 9% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $60,061 would in a typical place, ranking #178 of 384 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What carpenters do
Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. May also install cabinets, siding, drywall, and batt or roll insulation. Includes brattice builders who build doors or brattices (ventilation walls or partitions) in underground passageways.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
- Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
- Select and order lumber or other required materials.
- Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, carpenter jobs are projected to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 62,800 openings a year. About 25% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, carpenters have 165 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying ND metros for carpenters
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| MinotNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $58,950 | $67,737 | 160 |
| FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $58,940 | $64,861 | 880 |
| Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $57,440 | $66,280 | 290 |
| BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $54,670 | $60,061 | 510 |
See every metro in North Dakota.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Bismarck area's unemployment rate was 2.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just carpenters), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 2.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Bismarck area is 18 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 79% drive alone, 0% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Bismarck are down 48% from 2021 to 2025 (792 → 411).
In 2025 the Bismarck area approved permits for 411 new homes (369 single-family), or 3.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #223 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 240 one-person businesses (no employees) in building finishing work, averaging $71,596 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 101 building finishing work companies that have employees (about 576 workers in total). 67% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $54,670 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get carpenter pricing & estimate templates →Compare Bismarck with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.