Start with the answer
Carpenters pay in Colorado and Hawaii
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Carpenters is $62,830 per year in Colorado. It is $85,280 per year in Hawaii. Colorado is 26.3% below Hawaii on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 47-2031 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 12,740 wage and salary jobs in Colorado and 4,810 in Hawaii. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
