Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between commercial carpenters and finish 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 commercial carpenter and a finish carpenter. Additionally, a finish carpenter has an average salary of $46,987, which is higher than the $46,563 average annual salary of a commercial carpenter.
The top three skills for a commercial carpenter include hand tools, ladders and OSHA. The most important skills for a finish carpenter are hand tools, custom cabinets, and safety rules.
| Commercial Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Yearly salary | $46,563 | $46,987 |
| Hourly rate | $22.39 | $22.59 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 41,355 | 11,653 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Commercial carpenters specialize in woodworks and are typically found in construction sites. They operate machinery and a range of equipment unfamiliar to residential carpenters. These carpenters provide their professional services to the construction of churches, bridges, schools, hospitals, and the like. Their job includes installing window frames, staircases, doors, and shelf fixtures. They usually work on more complex and sophisticated structures requiring their companies, agencies, or employers to give them health and safety insurance, given that they adhere to all safety rules and regulations.
Finish carpenters are skilled professionals who perform the final touches on homes after the structure is fully built. These carpenters must carry out various tasks such as installing doors, building bookshelves, and adding designs to window and door trims. They are required to follow work from sketches and drawings to complete the job to the right specifications as well as collecting the correct materials before beginning a job. Finish carpenters must also dismantle and demolish before carrying out repairs or installing new materials.
Commercial carpenters and finish carpenters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Average salary | $46,563 | $46,987 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $61,000 | Between $34,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sunnyvale, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Sundt Construction | Turner Construction |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a commercial carpenter and a finish carpenter in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between commercial carpenters' and finish carpenters' demographics:
| Commercial Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.7% Female, 2.3% | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 2% | 2% |