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Building carpenter vs lead carpenter

The differences between building carpenters and lead carpenters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a building carpenter and a lead carpenter. Additionally, a lead carpenter has an average salary of $49,228, which is higher than the $37,278 average annual salary of a building carpenter.

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

Building carpenter vs lead carpenter overview

Building CarpenterLead Carpenter
Yearly salary$37,278$49,228
Hourly rate$17.92$23.67
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs9,5306,359
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 40%High School Diploma, 37%
Average age4242
Years of experience1212

Building carpenter vs lead carpenter salary

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

Building CarpenterLead Carpenter
Average salary$37,278$49,228
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $49,000Between $36,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City-San Jose, CA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-Brasfield & Gorrie
Best paying industry-Construction

Differences between building carpenter and lead carpenter education

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

Building CarpenterLead Carpenter
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 40%High School Diploma, 37%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Building carpenter vs lead carpenter demographics

Here are the differences between building carpenters' and lead carpenters' demographics:

Building CarpenterLead Carpenter
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 95.7% Female, 4.3%Male, 97.6% Female, 2.4%
Race ratioBlack 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, 7.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage2%2%

Differences between building carpenter and lead carpenter 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.

Lead carpenter example responsibilities.

  • Manage complete renovations and new construction of banks for commercial construction company.
  • Erect scaffolding, pump jacks, ladder jacks and ladders for assembling structures over head height.
  • Erect scaffolding for buildings and ship structures and installs ladders, handrails, walkways, platforms and gangways.
  • Remodel, framing, fire/flood restoration, demo and build back and new construction builds, install Sheetrock, special projects.
  • Bore boltholes in timber, masonry or concrete walls, using power drill.
  • Lead the coordination of projects with subcontractors such as plumbers, electricians, and HVAC.
  • Show more

Building carpenter vs lead carpenter skills

Common building carpenter skills
  • Hand Tools, 15%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Roofing, 12%
  • Plumbing, 8%
  • Safety Rules, 7%
  • Drywall Installation, 4%
Common lead carpenter skills
  • Safety Rules, 12%
  • Roofing, 11%
  • Plumbing, 10%
  • Door Installation, 6%
  • Drywall Installation, 5%
  • Power Saws, 4%

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