Carpenters

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$60,580

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$48,510 – $76,830

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

670,090

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.9%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

62,800

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Main 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.
• Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
• Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
• Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: apprenticeship

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

  $58,930 median · +2.5% projected

• Structural Iron and Steel Workers

  $62,780 median · +3.1% projected

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons

  $62,120 median · +1.1% projected

• Sheet Metal Workers

  $61,800 median · +2.5% projected

• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

  $51,330 median · -6.2% projected

• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

  $46,680 median · -2.9% projected