Building carpenter vs construction worker

The differences between building carpenters and construction workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a building carpenter has an average salary of $37,278, which is higher than the $31,842 average annual salary of a construction worker.

The top three skills for a building carpenter include hand tools, customer service and roofing. The most important skills for a construction worker are roofing, safety rules, and sheetrock.

Building carpenter vs construction worker overview

	Building Carpenter	Construction Worker
Yearly salary	$37,278	$31,842
Hourly rate	$17.92	$15.31
Growth rate	2%	4%
Number of jobs	9,530	53,067
Job satisfaction	-	4.33
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	42	39
Years of experience	12	-

Building carpenter vs construction worker salary

Building carpenters and construction workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Building Carpenter	Construction Worker
Average salary	$37,278	$31,842
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $49,000	Between $23,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	CDM Smith
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between building carpenter and construction worker education

There are a few differences between a building carpenter and a construction worker in terms of educational background:

	Building Carpenter	Construction Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 40%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Building carpenter vs construction worker demographics

Here are the differences between building carpenters' and construction workers' demographics:

	Building Carpenter	Construction Worker
Average age	42	39
Gender ratio	Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3%	Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 27.7% Asian, 2.8% White, 52.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between building carpenter and construction worker duties and responsibilities

Building carpenter example responsibilities.

General carpentry, painting, and plumbing to residential construction firm.
Build homes from the ground up, performing all tasks, excluding mechanical, electrical, and plumbing trades.
Coordinate with crane operators and heavy equipment operators for structural assembly/ material / scaffolding location.
Participate in process improvement and strategic planning initiatives with leadership team.

Construction worker example responsibilities.

Manage and decide all remodel activities.
Operate cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments.
Operate the recycle baler machine.
Require PPE / OSHA requirements and respirator tests perform.
General cleaning responsibilities; run cash register and greet customers.
Assist in all phases of construction, demo, and remodeling on an apprentice basis

Building carpenter vs construction worker skills

Common building carpenter skills

Hand Tools, 15%
Customer Service, 13%
Roofing, 12%
Plumbing, 8%
Safety Rules, 7%
Drywall Installation, 4%

Common construction worker skills

Roofing, 17%
Safety Rules, 12%
Sheetrock, 5%
Tape Measure, 4%
Equipment Operators, 4%
Masonry, 4%

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Construction and Extraction Industry
Building Carpenter
Building Carpenter vs Construction Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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