Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between union 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 union carpenter and a finish carpenter. Additionally, a finish carpenter has an average salary of $46,987, which is higher than the $46,816 average annual salary of a union carpenter.
The top three skills for a union carpenter include safety rules, drywall installation and stud. The most important skills for a finish carpenter are hand tools, custom cabinets, and safety rules.
| Union Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Yearly salary | $46,816 | $46,987 |
| Hourly rate | $22.51 | $22.59 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 5,009 | 11,653 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Union Carpenter is a skilled tradesman who works with wood and any other building trade materials. Union carpenters are national union members who are doing carpentry tasks. They negotiate on behalf of the union members. Often, they receive higher wages due to the collective representation and bargaining from the union. They also make drywall repair, custom cabinets, window frames, rough carpentry, safety rules, and project layout.
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.
Union carpenters and finish carpenters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Union Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Average salary | $46,816 | $46,987 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $63,000 | Between $34,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | - | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | - | Turner Construction |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a union carpenter and a finish carpenter in terms of educational background:
| Union Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 50% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between union carpenters' and finish carpenters' demographics:
| Union Carpenter | Finish Carpenter | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.2% Female, 4.8% | Male, 96.5% Female, 3.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 23.1% Asian, 1.6% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |