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The differences between roofers and carpenters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a carpenter has an average salary of $41,748, which is higher than the $38,294 average annual salary of a roofer.
The top three skills for a roofer include roofing, asphalt and ladders. The most important skills for a carpenter are hand tools, ladders, and install windows.
| Roofer | Carpenter | |
| Yearly salary | $38,294 | $41,748 |
| Hourly rate | $18.41 | $20.07 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 14,001 | 5,862 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.86 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 58% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 36 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
Roofers or roof mechanics are also known as tradesperson specializing in roof construction and maintenance. They typically install, repair, and replace the roofs of houses or buildings using different materials such as metal and bitumen. Roofers are classified into four categories, namely shinglers, single-ply roofers, metal roofers, and hot roofers. The shinglers install tiles, shingles, and shakes on roofs. The single-ply roofers focus on foam roofs while the metal roofers focus on metal roofing. The hot roofers, however, work on tar-base products.
A carpenter is a skilled worker responsible for different areas of construction. Carpenters perform fabrication from raw materials. They use tools to create a successful finished product on their client's request. Carpenters must be able to multi-task, resolve any possible complications, strictly follow safety standards, and ensure that the project adheres to protocols without compromising quality and accuracy of work. Since carpentry is physical labor, carpenters are expected to be physically fit to accomplish various maintenance and production tasks.
Roofers and carpenters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Roofer | Carpenter | |
| Average salary | $38,294 | $41,748 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $50,000 | Between $31,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Trenton, NJ | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Argonne National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Construction |
There are a few differences between a roofer and a carpenter in terms of educational background:
| Roofer | Carpenter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 58% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between roofers' and carpenters' demographics:
| Roofer | Carpenter | |
| Average age | 36 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.4% Female, 4.6% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 29.6% Asian, 0.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.3% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |