Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between maintenance carpenters and lead carpenters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a maintenance carpenter, becoming a lead carpenter takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead carpenter has an average salary of $49,228, which is higher than the $44,673 average annual salary of a maintenance carpenter.
The top three skills for a maintenance carpenter include hand tools, ladders and plumbing. The most important skills for a lead carpenter are safety rules, roofing, and plumbing.
| Maintenance Carpenter | Lead Carpenter | |
| Yearly salary | $44,673 | $49,228 |
| Hourly rate | $21.48 | $23.67 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 94,076 | 6,359 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 54% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
A maintenance carpenter maintains, repairs, and ensures that furniture, building, houses, and facilities are high quality. They also research building structure and handle the replacement, painting, installing, and furnishing equipment that a company needs. Carpenters may be hired for commercial or residential projects of various scales.
A lead carpenter is responsible for monitoring field carpenters on performing construction duties, analyzing schematics and blueprints, following clients' specifications, completing the project within the agreed timeframe, and maintaining materials with the budget goals, ensuring the highest quality and client's satisfaction. Lead carpenters regularly inspect the project, perform adjustments as needed, repair defects and inconsistencies, and adhere to the safety standards and protocols during operations. A lead carpenter must have excellent knowledge of the carpentry industry to handle clients' demands and efficiently create the finished product.
Maintenance carpenters and lead carpenters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Maintenance Carpenter | Lead Carpenter | |
| Average salary | $44,673 | $49,228 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $59,000 | Between $36,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Anchorage, AK | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Holton-Arms School | Brasfield & Gorrie |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Construction |
There are a few differences between a maintenance carpenter and a lead carpenter in terms of educational background:
| Maintenance Carpenter | Lead Carpenter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 54% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between maintenance carpenters' and lead carpenters' demographics:
| Maintenance Carpenter | Lead Carpenter | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.3% Female, 2.7% | Male, 97.6% Female, 2.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 4.6% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | 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 Percentage | 2% | 2% |