Carpenters
Carpenters earn an average annual salary of $79,963, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only. The field combines competitive compensation with strong employment opportunities, making it an attractive career path.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Carpenters workforce.
Employment Over Time
106,500 Workforce in 2023
The Carpenters workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Carpenters.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$79,963 Average Wage
In 2023, Carpenters earned an average of $79,963.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Carpenters.
Salary distribution for Carpenters.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
423,315 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -0.0%
423,190 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -0.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Carpenters.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Carpenters and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Carpenters employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Carpenters.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Carpenters.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Carpenters.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 100,210 employees, $80,104 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Carpenters.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 20,300 employees, $78,845 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 15,460 employees, $75,578 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 11,040 employees, $79,749 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 9,690 employees, $77,874 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 9,670 employees, $81,096 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 7,840 employees, $89,242 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 5,350 employees, $89,551 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 4,800 employees, $89,146 avg wage
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 2,220 employees, $86,428 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 2,180 employees, $70,081 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Carpenters.
Diversity
Demographic information on Carpenters in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Carpenters in 2023 was 106,500 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Carpenters.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Carpenters.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Carpenters.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Carpenters in 2023 were Carpentry, Construction Management, Technical Training.
Common majors for Carpenters.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Carpenters workers.
Education level distribution for Carpenters.
Skills
Carpenters need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination, Speaking.
Required skills for Carpenters.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Carpenters.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Carpenters include Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Design, Engineering and Technology.
Knowledge areas required for Carpenters.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Carpenters include Problem Sensitivity, Visualization, Near Vision, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity.
Required abilities for Carpenters.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Carpenters.
Daily Activities
Carpenters spend their time on activities such as Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Handling and Moving Objects.
Most important work activities for Carpenters.
About
Carpenters
The average yearly wage for Carpenters was $79,963 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-2031 - Carpenters
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Carpenters reports an average salary of $79,963.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 106,500 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
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 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.