State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Carpenter Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Carpenters earn a median of $60,580 per year ($29.12/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.5% through 2034, with about 74,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 47-2031Construction and ExtractionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $60,580
- Projected growth
- +4.5%
- Openings a year
- 74,100
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Bridge Carpenter, Cabinet Maker, Carpenter, Concrete Carpenter, Construction Carpenter, Form Carpenter.
How much do Carpenters make?
10th percentile$40,410
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$48,510
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$60,580
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$76,830
Upper quartile
90th percentile$99,910
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $60,580 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $29.12/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $65,630 |
| People employed | 670,090 |
Versus all US occupations
At $60,580, Carpenters earn 19% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $9,600 a year.
Versus construction and extraction occupations
Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $57,430, this is 5% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $99,910 or more while the bottom 10% earn $40,410, a gap of 2.5×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 43% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Hawaii posts the highest raw median ($85,280), but once local prices are taken into account Illinois leads at $79,033 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Carpenters the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $85,280 | $77,562 | 4,810 |
| Illinois | $79,000 | $79,033 | 19,570 |
| California | $75,920 | $68,569 | 100,750 |
| Massachusetts | $75,200 | $71,106 | 18,540 |
| Washington | $74,190 | $69,328 | 26,960 |
| Alaska | $73,860 | $72,158 | 2,560 |
| New York | $72,330 | $67,021 | 40,630 |
| Minnesota | $64,930 | $65,838 | 14,930 |
| Connecticut | $64,060 | $61,828 | 5,160 |
| New Jersey | $64,010 | $58,830 | 14,230 |
Is Carpenter a growing career?
Carpenters4.5%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Carpenters to change 4.5% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 43,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 74,100 openings are projected each year, 7.7% of the 959,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Population growth should result in more new-home construction, one of the largest segments employing carpenters, which will create some jobs for carpenters. Construction of factories and other nonresidential buildings also is projected to result in some new jobs over the decade.
However, the popularity of modular and prefabricated components for homes and businesses reduces the need for carpenters to build new structures. Roofs, insulation, walls, and other components, as well as entire buildings, may be manufactured in a separate facility and then assembled onsite.
How to become a Carpenter
Carpenters typically need a high school diploma and learn on the job or through apprenticeships.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Apprenticeship |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as carpenters.
- High School Diploma52.4%
- Post-Secondary Certificate21.5%
- Less than a High School Diploma17.7%
- Some College Courses8.4%
What does a Carpenter 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.
Carpenters construct, repair, and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials.
Day-to-day tasks
- Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
- Anchor and brace forms and other structures in place, using nails, bolts, anchor rods, steel cables, planks, wedges, and timbers.
- Bore boltholes in timber, masonry or concrete walls, using power drill.
- Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
- Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.
- Remove damaged or defective parts or sections of structures and repair or replace, using hand tools.
- Install rough door and window frames, subflooring, fixtures, or temporary supports in structures undergoing construction or repair.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where carpenters work
| Self-employed workers | 27% |
|---|---|
| Residential building construction | 23% |
| Nonresidential building construction | 12% |
| Building finishing contractors | 12% |
| Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | 10% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.4/5
- Monitoring3.4/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Speaking3.1/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
- Active Learning3.0/5
- Writing2.9/5
Transferable skills
- Coordination3.3/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Operations Monitoring2.9/5
- Operation and Control2.9/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.8/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Information retrieval or search software
- Internet browser software
- Project management software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Carpenter?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary6.8
Investigative1.9
Artistic2.2
Social1.9
Enterprising1.8
Conventionalprimary3.5
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Carpenter: frequently asked questions
How much do Carpenters make?
Carpenters earn a median of $60,580 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 19% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $29.12/hr. The middle half earn between $48,510 and $76,830. The top 10% earn $99,910 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Carpenter?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Carpenters. BLS also lists apprenticeship as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 52.4% hold high school diploma.
Is Carpenter a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.5% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 74,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Carpenter do?
Carpenters construct, repair, and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials. A core O*NET task: follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Carpenters the most?
The highest state medians for Carpenters are Hawaii ($85,280), Illinois ($79,000), California ($75,920) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Illinois moves to the top at $79,033.
What personality type suits a Carpenter?
O*NET scores Carpenters highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.