How much wood would a carpenter.. Wait, that's not how that goes. Speaking of carpenter's though, they do cut a lot of wood. That's how they're able to construct, repair and install building frameworks.
With only a high school diploma, you could be making an average of $48,330 a year by becoming a carpenter. The range of projects they work on range from installing kitchen cabinets to building highways and bridges.
How to Become a Carpenter
What is a Carpenter
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Carpenter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.44 an hour? That's $40,445 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 80,100 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Carpenter Do
There are certain skills that many Carpenters have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Business skills, Detail oriented and Dexterity.
How To Become a Carpenter
If you're interested in becoming a Carpenter, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 22.7% of Carpenters have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.7% of Carpenters have master's degrees. Even though some Carpenters have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Carpenter. When we researched the most common majors for a Carpenter, we found that they most commonly earn High School Diploma degrees or Bachelor's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Carpenter resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Carpenter. In fact, many Carpenter jobs require experience in a role such as Foreman. Meanwhile, many Carpenters also have previous career experience in roles such as Cashier or Carpenter/Labour.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Carpenter Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Foreman you might progress to a role such as Superintendent eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Project Superintendent.
Carpenter
Project Superintendent
10 Years
Construction Manager
9 Years
General Superintendent
11 Years
Contract Project Manager
10 Years
Maintenance Director
11 Years
Director Of Facilities
11 Years
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Carpenter Jobs You Might Like
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Carpenter
Carpenters in America make an average salary of $40,445 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $54,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $30,000 per year.
Average Salary
$40,445
Find Your Salary Estimate
How much should you be earning as an Carpenter? Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to get an estimation of how much you should be earning.
Calculate your salary
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
12 Carpenter Resume Examples
Build a professional carpenter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your carpenter resume.
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Christine Cruz Carpenter |
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Katherine Perez Carpenter Experience Carpenter2011 - Present Pep Boys•San Bernardino, CA
Carpenter Labour Supervisor2004 - 2011 Pep Boys•San Bernardino, CA
Floor Installer2002 - 2004 Pep Boys•San Bernardino, CA
Skills Job SitesBuilding PlansDoor HardwareSnow RemovalProject LayoutHeavy LaborSandFloor DesignsHand ToolsHeavy Equipment Education High School Diploma 2002 - 2002 |
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Learn How To Write a Carpenter Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Carpenter resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Carpenter Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Carpenter Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Carpenter templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Carpenter resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Carpenter Demographics
Carpenter Gender Distribution
Male
96%
Female
4%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Carpenters, 4.3% of them are women, while 95.7% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Carpenters is White, which makes up 67.2% of all Carpenters.
- The most common foreign language among Carpenters is Spanish at 70.0%.
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Carpenter Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Carpenter Jobs - $54K and Up
- Entry Level Carpenter Jobs
- Part Time Carpenter Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Carpenter Jobs
Online Courses For Carpenter That You May Like
OSHA Safety Pro: Personal Protective Equipment
Impress management or get that job with you your ability to display life and dollar saving work place safety practices...
OSHA Workplace Safety (General Industry 6 Hr Class)
Learn the requirements and standards associated with OSHA and workplace safety. Safety best practices for the workplace...
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Top Skills For a Carpenter
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 20.8% of Carpenters listed Hand Tools on their resume, but soft skills such as Business skills and Detail oriented are important as well.
Best States For a Carpenter
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Carpenter. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Vermont, New York, and California. Carpenters make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $55,163. Whereas in Vermont and New York, they would average $53,202 and $53,037, respectively. While Carpenters would only make an average of $52,271 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Vermont
Total Carpenter Jobs:
35
Highest 10% Earn:
$68,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$53,202
Avg. Salary
2. Connecticut
Total Carpenter Jobs:
128
Highest 10% Earn:
$68,000
Location Quotient:
1.32
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$51,018
Avg. Salary
3. Washington
Total Carpenter Jobs:
223
Highest 10% Earn:
$60,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Location Quotient is a measure used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to determine how concentrated a certain industry is in a single state compared to the nation as a whole. You can read more about how BLS calculates location quotients here
$49,643
Avg. Salary
How Do Carpenter Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
Carpentry • July 2019
5.0
Carpentry • July 2019What do you like the most about working as Carpenter?
Satisfying work that you can see and measure everyday. Generally clean work and a safe work environment. Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Tool expense and wages are not keeping Pace with the economy. Carpenters today earn the same or less as they did 30 years ago Show MoreCarpenter Videos
Training for a Career as a Union Carpenter
Becoming a Carpenter FAQs
Do carpenters make good money?
Yes, carpenters make good money. The average annual salary for a carpenter is $41,758, putting them well over the national average for other jobs requiring only a high-school diploma.
How do I start a career as a carpenter?
To start a career as a carpenter, you will likely need to complete an apprenticeship. It is possible to get a carpenter job with only a high school diploma or equivalent, but completing an apprenticeship will give you the skills and knowledge needed to earn your training verification card and begin work as a journeyman carpenter.
How long does it take to become a finish carpenter?
It takes three to five years to become a finish carpenter. It is possible to become a finished carpenter with only a high-school diploma and basic maths and interpersonal skills.
A carpentry apprenticeship is three to five years of relevant classroom instruction and field training.
Is carpentry a good career?
Yes, carpentry is a good career. Carpenters seem to think so, anyway. They reported to US News average to above-average job satisfaction rates, citing work environment, flexibility, and career progression.
What qualifications do you need to be a carpenter?
To be a carpenter, you need brains, brawn, and a high school diploma or equivalent. You do not need a college degree.
You will need basic industrial math skills, specific industry knowledge, and various soft skills. The best way to gain and develop these is by completing a carpentry apprenticeship under a licensed master carpenter.
Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.
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