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Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. May also install cabinets, siding, drywall, and batt or roll insulation. Includes brattice builders who build doors or brattices (ventilation walls or partitions) in underground passageways.
Business skills. Self-employed carpenters must conduct activities such as bidding on new jobs, tracking inventory, and directing workers.
Detail oriented. Carpenters must be able to precisely cut, measure, and modify the materials they work with.
Dexterity. Carpenters use many tools and need hand-eye coordination to avoid injuring themselves or damaging materials.
Interpersonal skills. Carpenters need to work as a member of a team, cooperating with and assisting others. They also may interact with customers.
Math skills. Carpenters frequently use math skills, including basic trigonometry, to calculate the area, size, and amount of material needed for the job.
Physical strength. Carpenters use heavy tools and materials that weigh up to 100 pounds. They also must be able to stand, climb, or bend for many hours.
Problem-solving skills. Carpenters may work independently with little guidance. They need to be able to modify building materials and make adjustments onsite to complete projects.
Reading comprehension skills. Carpenters need advanced reading ability to understand and follow complex instructions for installing certain products, such as doors.
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Characteristics of this Career |
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92% | Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. | |
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86% | Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. | |
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80% | Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. | |
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78% | Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. | |
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78% | Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. | |
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76% | Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations. | |
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76% | Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. | |
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76% | Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical. | |
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75% | Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. | |
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75% | Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. | |
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74% | Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction. | |
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73% | Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done. | |
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73% | Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems. | |
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72% | Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. | |
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64% | Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. | |
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54% | Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Strengths |
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100% | Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services. | |
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61% | Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources. | |
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53% | Investigative - Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Values of the Work Environment |
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64% | Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical. | |
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56% | Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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72% | Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |
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72% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem. | |
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66% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |
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66% | Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. | |
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66% | Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. | |
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63% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |
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63% | Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing. | |
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63% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |
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63% | Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. | |
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60% | Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance. | |
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60% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |
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60% | Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. | |
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60% | Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects. | |
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60% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |
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56% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |
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53% | Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears. | |
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53% | Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. | |
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53% | Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. | |
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53% | Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Skills | Cognitive, Physical, Personality |
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55% | Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | |
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52% | Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent |
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98% | Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets? | |
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98% | Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? | |
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94% | Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? | |
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90% | Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing? | |
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89% | Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job? | |
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87% | Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job? | |
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87% | Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? | |
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86% | Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines? | |
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84% | Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer? | |
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82% | Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable? | |
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82% | Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers? | |
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81% | Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization? | |
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77% | Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls? | |
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73% | Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? | |
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73% | Outdoors, Exposed to Weather - How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions? | |
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73% | Exposed to Contaminants - How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)? | |
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73% | Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? | |
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70% | Consequence of Error - How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable? | |
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68% | Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment? | |
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66% | Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? | |
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66% | Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job? | |
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66% | Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? | |
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65% | Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body - How much does this job require bending or twisting your body? | |
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63% | Exposed to High Places - How often does this job require exposure to high places? | |
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62% | Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions? | |
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61% | Very Hot or Cold Temperatures - How often does this job require working in very hot (above 90 F degrees) or very cold (below 32 F degrees) temperatures? | |
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59% | Spend Time Walking and Running - How much does this job require walking and running? | |
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59% | Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures? | |
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58% | Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job? | |
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52% | Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling - How much does this job require kneeling, crouching, stooping or crawling? | |
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51% | Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements? | |
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51% | Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? | |
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69% | Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| A3 | Your Strengths | Importance |
Tasks & Values |
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80% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. | |
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78% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. | |
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77% | Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. | |
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77% | Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. | |
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76% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. | |
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75% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. | |
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73% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. | |
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71% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. | |
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68% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. | |
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66% | Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment - Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft. | |
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66% | Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. | |
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66% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. | |
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65% | Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment - Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used. | |
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64% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. | |
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63% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. | |
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62% | Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). | |
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62% | Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. | |
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61% | Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. | |
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61% | Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts. | |
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61% | Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. | |
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60% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. | |
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59% | Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. | |
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58% | Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members. | |
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58% | Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. | |
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55% | Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others. | |
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54% | Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. | |
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52% | Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. | |
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52% | Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. | |
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52% | Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used. |
Carpenters construct, repair, and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials.
Carpenters typically do the following:
Carpenters have many different tasks. Some carpenters insulate office buildings; others install drywall or kitchen cabinets in homes. Still others focus on production or commercial work to help construct tall buildings or bridges, installing wooden concrete forms for cement footings or pillars. These carpenters also erect shoring and scaffolding for buildings.
Carpenters use many different tools to cut and shape wood, plastic, fiberglass, or drywall. They use handtools, including squares, levels, and chisels, as well as many power tools, such as sanders, circular saws, nail guns, and welding machines. On large projects, carpenters may use rigging hardware and cranes as part of the installation process. Carpenters may also use smart phones, tablets, and other personal electronic devices to assist with planning, drafting, or other calculations.
Carpenters fasten materials with nails, screws, staples, and adhesives and check their work to ensure that it is correct. They use tape measures or laser measures on nearly every project to quickly determine distances. Many employers require carpenters to supply their own tools on the job.
The following are examples of types of carpenters:
Construction carpenters construct, install, and repair structures and fixtures of wood, plywood, and wallboard, using carpenters’ handtools and power tools.
Rough carpenters build rough wooden structures, such as concrete forms; scaffolds; tunnel, bridge, or sewer supports; and temporary frame shelters, according to sketches, blueprints, or oral instructions.
Wood flooring installers put in a variety of materials, including plank, strip, end-grain, and parquet flooring. These wood products may be nailed in place or glued down. Floor sanders and finishers may smooth the flooring onsite or it may be prefinished prior to installation.
Carpenters held about 956,300 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of carpenters were as follows:
| Self-employed workers | 27% |
| Residential building construction | 23 |
| Building finishing contractors | 13 |
| Nonresidential building construction | 12 |
| Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors | 10 |
Carpenters work indoors and outdoors on many types of construction projects, from installing kitchen cabinets to building highways and bridges. Carpenters may work in cramped spaces and frequently alternate between lifting, standing, and kneeling. Those who work outdoors are subject to variable weather, which may affect a project’s schedule.
Carpenters sometimes get injured on the job, such as from strains caused by overexertion due to lifting and moving materials. Other common injuries result from falls, slips, trips, and contact with objects or equipment. Workers often wear equipment such as boots, hardhats, protective eyewear, and reflective vests as a safeguard against injuries.
Most carpenters work full time, which may include evenings and weekends to meet clients’ deadlines. Extreme temperatures or inclement weather may impact building construction timelines, which in turn may affect carpenters’ work hours.
Carpenters typically need a high school diploma and learn on the job or through apprenticeships.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required to enter the occupation. Certain high school courses, such as mathematics and mechanical drawing, may be useful. Some vocational-technical schools offer associate’s degrees in carpentry. The programs vary in length and teach basics and specialties in carpentry.
Carpenters typically learn on the job or through apprenticeships. They often begin doing simple tasks, such as measuring and cutting wood, under the guidance of experienced carpenters or other construction workers. They then progress to more complex tasks, such as reading blueprints and building wooden structures.
Several groups, such as unions and contractor associations, sponsor apprenticeship programs. For each year of a typical program, apprentices must complete a predetermined number of hours of technical training and paid on-the-job training. Apprenticeship program requirements differ based on the type of program and by region. Apprentices learn carpentry basics, blueprint reading, mathematics, building code requirements, and safety and first aid practices. They also may receive specialized training in creating and setting concrete forms, rigging, welding, scaffold building, and working within confined workspaces. All carpenters must pass the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour safety course.
Some carpenters work as construction laborers or helpers before becoming carpenters. Laborers and helpers learn tasks that are similar to those of carpenters.
Carpenters may need a driver’s license to travel to jobsites.
Optional programs offer certification by specialty that may allow carpenters to find additional work opportunities or lead to career advancement. For example, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry offers various levels of certification for remodeling. The National Wood Flooring Association offers certification for installers, craftsman, and master craftsman.
Carpenters are involved in many phases of construction and may have opportunities to become first-line supervisors, lead carpenters, independent contractors, or general construction supervisors.
Employment of carpenters is projected to show little or no change from 2022 to 2032.
Despite limited employment growth, about 79,500 openings for carpenters are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Population growth should result in more new-home construction—one of the largest segments employing carpenters—which will create some jobs for carpenters. Construction of factories and other nonresidential buildings also is projected to result in some new jobs over the decade.
However, the popularity of modular and prefabricated components for homes and businesses reduces the need for carpenters to build new structures. Roofs, insulation, walls, and other components, as well as entire buildings, may be manufactured in a separate facility and then assembled onsite.
For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this trade, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, local contractors or firms that employ carpenters, or local union–management carpenter apprenticeship committees. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program online or by phone at 877-872-5627. Visit Apprenticeship.gov to search for apprenticeship opportunities.
For more information about carpenters, including training opportunities, visit
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated General Contractors of America
National Association of the Remodeling Industry
National Wood Flooring Association
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Carpenters Training Fund
For more information about pre-apprenticeship training, visit
National Building Trades Union
For information about opportunities for military veterans, visit:
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of carpenters.
| Occupation | Job Duties | Entry-Level Education | Median Annual Pay, May 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Construction and Building Inspectors |
Construction and building inspectors ensure that construction meets building codes and ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $64,480 |
|
Construction Laborers and Helpers |
Construction laborers and helpers perform many tasks that require physical labor on construction sites. |
See How to Become One | $39,520 |
|
Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers |
Drywall and ceiling tile installers hang wallboard and install ceiling tile inside buildings. Tapers prepare the wallboard for painting. |
No formal educational credential | $51,160 |
|
General Maintenance and Repair Workers |
General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $44,980 |
|
Insulation Workers |
Insulation workers install and replace the materials used to insulate buildings or mechanical systems. |
See How to Become One | $47,980 |
|
Roofers |
Roofers replace, repair, and install the roofs of buildings. |
No formal educational credential | $47,920 |
|
Solar Photovoltaic Installers |
Solar photovoltaic (PV) installers assemble, set up, and maintain rooftop or other systems that convert sunlight into energy. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $45,230 |
|
Flooring Installers and Tile and Stone Setters |
Flooring installers and tile and stone setters lay and finish carpet, wood, vinyl, tile, and other materials. |
No formal educational credential | $47,890 |
|
Woodworkers |
Woodworkers manufacture a variety of products, such as cabinets and furniture, using wood, veneers, and laminates. |
High school diploma or equivalent | $37,590 |