Helpers--Carpenters in Alabama
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$31,803
after federal, FICA and Alabama tax
Tax takes
$7,127
18.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,349
Alabama costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Alabama — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$38,930
Kept after tax
$31,803
Worth in national money
$35,349
State rank
35
of 47 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for helpers--carpenters is on the low side in Alabama. The middle earner gets $38,930. That is 35 of 47 states, and about 11.08% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 482 occupations Alabama reports figures for, this is number 357.
- Here is where Alabama does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $38,930 you keep $31,803, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $35,349 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $39,370, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For helpers--carpenters, Alabama sits in the lower band at $38,930, ranking 35 of 47 and trailing the national median by about 11.08%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- In Alabama's occupational distribution, helpers--carpenters sits at 357 of 482 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- After federal, FICA and Alabama income tax, retained pay for helpers--carpenters on $38,930 is $31,803. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $35,349 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $39,370 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Helpers--Carpenters
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $29,610 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $38,930 |
| Top tenth earn over | $47,730 |
| This salary | $38,930 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Alabama | $31,803 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $33,460 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$916 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $36,868 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$1,108 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 90 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of helpers--carpenters in Alabama earn under $38,930 and half over. The published range runs $29,610 at the tenth percentile to $47,730 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Alabama the take-home figure of $31,803, from $38,930, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 357 of 482 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Alabama, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $35,349, the adjusted value of that $38,930 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 357 of 482 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for helpers--carpenters in Alabama, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $29,610 to $47,730; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Alabama is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $31,803 from $38,930. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 357 of 482 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Alabama, so $35,349 — the adjusted value of that $38,930 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 357 of 482 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $29,610 at the tenth percentile, $47,730 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Alabama is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $35,349 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Into four separate taxes, not one. Federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare apply everywhere, and Alabama adds its own income tax on top — which is why $31,803 of this wage survives to your account.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 47 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($29,610 to $47,730) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Alabama rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Alabama's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $35,349 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $31,803 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Alabama income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 47 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.