Carpentry Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Carpentry maps to BLS occupations averaging about $79,963, with roughly 50,000 workers nationwide in those roles. About 2,092 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; modeled 10-year ROI is about 684% on median net price.
Key Statistics
Carpentry: what the data shows
Common questions about carpentry degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a carpentry degree?
A Carpentry program is classified under NCES CIP 46.0201 in the Carpenters field family (46.02).
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to lay out, cut, fabricate, erect, install, and repair wooden structures and fixtures, using hand and power tools. Includes instruction in technical mathematics, framing, construction materials and selection, job estimating, blueprint reading, foundations and roughing-in, finish carpentry techniques, and applicable codes and standards.
IPEDS counted 5,356 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
How long does it take to get a carpentry degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 46.0201 in our file:
- 530 Associate (16.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 2,092 Bachelor's (64.3% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 530 Master's (16.3% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 103 Doctorate (3.2% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in carpentry?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Carpenters (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 46.0201, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a carpentry degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Carpentry to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters | 697,740 | $59,310 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a carpentry degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $11,790 and median net price is $15,944.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Carpentry and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$11,790 Median In-State Public
$18,462 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Carpentry majors are, on average, $11,790 for in-state public colleges, and $18,462 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Carpentry programs.
Institutions awarding the most Carpentry degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American River College | CA | 491 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 440 |
| 3 | J F Ingram State Technical College | AL | 264 |
| 4 | Community College of Allegheny County | PA | 137 |
| 5 | Columbus Technical College | GA | 119 |
| 6 | Hazard Community and Technical College | KY | 112 |
| 7 | Madison Area Technical College | WI | 107 |
| 8 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College | WI | 102 |
| 9 | Atlanta Technical College | GA | 86 |
| 10 | Hennepin Technical College | MN | 85 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
5,356 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Carpentry from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Carpentry.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 2 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 3 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | 58,267 |
| 4 | Austin Community College District | TX | 30,189 |
| 5 | Austin Community College District | TX | 30,189 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Carpentry programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fullerton College | CA | $1,150 |
| 2 | Santiago Canyon College | CA | $1,164 |
| 3 | Santiago Canyon College | CA | $1,164 |
| 4 | College of the Canyons | CA | $1,166 |
| 5 | Southeast New Mexico College | NM | $1,176 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Carpentry programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 2 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 3 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
| 4 | Green Country Technology Center | OK | $1,062 |
| 5 | Piedmont Community College | NC | $1,095 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Carpentry programs.
Graduation Rates
54.13% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
53.66% Average Graduation Rate
180 Institutions Reporting
40.78% - 66.59% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Carpentry programs across institutions.
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 46.0201 in the survey year used in our extract (3,255 total across levels below).
- 530 Associate (16.3% of IPEDS total)
- 2,092 Bachelor's (64.3% of IPEDS total)
- 530 Master's (16.3% of IPEDS total)
- 103 Doctorate (3.2% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $79,963. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Carpentry graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters | $79,963 | 697,740 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$79,963 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Carpentry majors is $79,963.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Carpentry majors.
Occupations by Share
50,000 2023 Workforce
The number of Carpentry graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Carpentry by share of the total number of graduates.
Return on Investment & Value
Debt and earnings fields below come from College Scorecard where present in our degree extract.
Financial value (extract)
$18,750 Median Student Debt
$50,000 Median Annual Earnings (10 years after enrollment)
37.50% Debt-to-Earnings Ratio
3.8 years Estimated Payback Period (assuming 10% of income)
683.99% Return on Investment (10-year earnings vs 4-year cost)
Ten-year earnings in this extract exceed four years of median net price.
$63,776 Estimated Total Cost (4 years at median net price)
Financial value comparison for Carpentry degree.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Carpentry in the United States.
Workforce Age
40.0 Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Carpentry.
Age distribution for Carpentry degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
5,356 Total Degrees Awarded
4,839 Male (90.35%)
517 Female (9.65%)
Gender distribution of Carpentry degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
2,644 White (49.37%)
970 Hispanic or Latino (18.11%)
847 Black or African American (15.81%)
185 Two or More Races (3.45%)
130 American Indian/Alaska Native (2.43%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Carpentry degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Carpentry are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Carpentry.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Carpentry field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Carpentry majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Carpentry majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Carpentry majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to apply technical knowledge and skills to lay out, cut, fabricate, erect, install, and repair wooden structures and fixtures, using hand and power tools. Includes instruction in technical mathematics, framing, construction materials and selection, job estimating, blueprint reading, foundations and roughing-in, finish carpentry techniques, and applicable codes and standards.
In 2023, 5,356 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Carpentry.
CIP Code
46.0201 - Carpentry
What the data shows
Men earned 9.7% of 5,356 Carpentry completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $79,963. The largest mapped role by headcount is Carpenters (697,740 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $11,790 in-state at public colleges and $18,462 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.