How Much Does a Carpenter Earn

Do carpenters make good money? This might be the first question that you may ask if you want to pursue this profession. The earning potential of this career is strong and you won’t be running out of employment opportunities.

But how much does a carpenter earn in the US? According to the latest survey report of Salary.com, as of May 31, 2019, the average salary of a carpenter is $54,941, but the numbers could be between $47,450 and $63,323. You can earn much bigger paycheck depending on the qualifications you have, the state where you’re working in the country, the experience you have as a carpenter and the certifications you’ve gained working in this field. If you’re thinking how much should you be paid on an hourly basis? The average hourly rate of a carpenter in the US is $26.00, the range is between $23 - $30.

If you’re interested in becoming a carpenter, you need to put the time and effort. You need to earn the credentials if you want to earn the potential.

This profession has a good job prospect in the construction industry. The US BLS has predicted that the construction trade workers, have fastest job growth in the next coming years. The reasons behind this growth are that the construction industry itself is a healthy industry, there’s a lot of baby boomers retiring opening up job openings for new positions, the population is exploding causing residentials projects to be put up in many areas, the continued need for renovation and maintenance work, and the never-ceasing infrastructure projects such as highways and public roads.

Average Salary You Can Earn as a Carpenter (By State)

Again, the place where you are working in the US plays a vital role in how much you can earn doing this job. We, prepared this table below for you to have a sneak peek of you going to receive in the state where you are located. The numbers are based on the latest May 31, 2019, report of Salary.Com.

Now that you’ve understood the average salaries across the US, the states of Alaska, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts have the highest earning potential for carpenters.

Earning Good Salary is Important But You Should Have the Passion

Just like any job seeker, we always ask, is earning a good salary an important factor when choosing a profession? For me, in my humblest opinion, it should be secondary. You need to have the interest and passion to what you’re doing and you will see everything will follow including the money.

Doing what you love ensures that you’re on the right track. It makes you stuck with the job you’re doing thus ensuring of building a flourishing career out of it. To make an example, I’ve been interested in carpentry ever since I was a child. I am just lucky enough that carpentry runs in the blood, my father and my uncle were both woodworkers creating awesome things from wood. They were my mentors. My dad showed me what it takes to be in this industry. I inherited the genes from them. I’ve been doing this craft ever since I was a teenager. Do you think I will last this long if I don’t have the passion? Definitely not. So, if you are making a career decision based on the salary you can make, you’re doing it wrong. The first and foremost you should do when choosing a job is to assess whether if it is aligned with the things you’re passionate about to do.

Remember earning a good salary is not the bigger picture. The inclination of your interest with the job is the number one consideration to get into this career.

Earning the Qualifications to be as a Carpenter

Carpentry is a skill that you don’t learn overnight and just like any other trades, you need to put the effort into it. You can start taking a training course to begin the journey. You need to get the required training and earn the certification to be a carpenter. The training requires both classroom training and practical training onsite to gain the qualifications. A vocational school or community college in your area may offer a short course or a degree in carpentry or woodworking.

Another option you can take to start this career is by contacting a local union, a guild representative or even a private contracting company in your location if they provide apprenticeship program in carpentry. Many of these organizations provide apprenticeship program that could take several years to complete – a great way to gain valuable hands-on technique while earning a living. Being an apprentice is the common way to get into this field.

How Much Does It Cost You to Complete the Carpentry Training

Now that you’ve assessed yourself and your inclination is really to be a carpenter, your next move now is to take the class. Completing the course does involve some amount to pay for tuition and other miscellaneous expenses. A certificate program could cost around $7,000 to enroll in a course while the degree, which is much longer course, is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 up to $18,000. Other expenses that may not be covered by the tuition are the room and board, supplies and books.

You can significantly lessen the tuition expenses by attending in the public or community college in your area of residence. The school usually gives a discount for local the residents. If you’re taking the course at a private training company, the same tuition applies regardless you’re a resident or not.

Please be reminded that the figures we mentioned above are not final. You can reduce the cost of tuition by availing financial aid. You can make an inquiry with the school about the financial support they offer to students or avail the financial loan and have a part-time job to fund your education.

Should I Become a Carpenter?

This might be the next thing circling your mind. Will picking this career the right for you? Please do remember that getting into a profession takes time to think before making the final decision. If you’re basing your decision on money, you’re being misled by your judgment.

Before choosing this career, you must know things about yourself. Are your values and interest aligned with the nature of the job of a carpenter? Do self-assessment to gather much-needed information about what you want to do, know your traits to arrive at a decision if being a carpenter is the right job for you.

To give you a clearer view of the nature of the job of the carpenter, they create and repair structures. They commonly work in the construction site and infrastructure projects. Their biggest asset is their hands and their ability operating wide varieties of tools and machineries.

Since the nature of the job is physically exhausting, you can expect to be on your feet most of your working hours doing laborious responsibilities.

You can start a training program at complete an apprenticeship program. There are a number of training schools offering such a course near your area. Your guidance counselor in high school can assist you in finding one or you can do a simple online search. Gaining the credential and qualification for the job by taking the training program will help you get into this career fast.

To Conclude This Article

If your biggest question in mind is how much do carpenters earn, well, it is one of the vocational trades that offer big paycheck. Earning the salary you deserve starts by having the right qualifications as a carpenter. You just need to have the right qualifications. The job prospect for carpentry is good. There’s a continuous demand for this trade as the construction industry is booming, they require a large number for new positions.

We always wish you good luck on your journey to become a carpenter.