Carpenters: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 46.02. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 365 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 274 | 4,826 | $35,931 | $41,835 | $11,041 9 programs |
| Associate's degree | 90 | 530 | $39,626 | $47,382 | $12,000 8 programs |
| Bachelor's degree | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bennet Street School MA · Private, nonprofit · 29 graduates measured | $51,454 | $59,101 | $10,750 |
| Western Technical College WI · Public · 18 graduates measured | $44,778 | $44,860 | Data unavailable |
| Rochester Community and Technical College MN · Public · 18 graduates measured | $44,669 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College KY · Public · 28 graduates measured | $39,195 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Milwaukee Area Technical College WI · Public · 16 graduates measured | $37,357 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Centura College-Chesapeake VA · Private, for-profit · 26 graduates measured | $35,631 | Data unavailable | $14,750 |
| Centura College-Norfolk VA · Private, for-profit · 26 graduates measured | $35,631 | Data unavailable | $14,750 |
| Mohawk Valley Community College NY · Public · 27 graduates measured | $31,804 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Fort Hays Tech North Central KS · Public · 18 graduates measured | $28,711 | $43,522 | Data unavailable |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College KY · Public · 16 graduates measured | $27,975 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College IL · Public · 25 graduates measured | $26,938 | $37,726 | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Associate's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Tech Community College IN · Public · 36 graduates measured | $69,108 | $69,442 | $9,071 |
| Austin Community College District TX · Public · 21 graduates measured | $68,032 | $61,533 | Data unavailable |
| Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology PA · Public · 44 graduates measured | $40,393 | $46,433 | $11,000 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Greensburg · Private, for-profit · 29 graduates measured | $38,292 | $41,072 | $12,656 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Bethlehem · Private, for-profit · 29 graduates measured | $38,292 | $41,072 | $12,656 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Pittsburgh · Private, for-profit · 41 graduates measured | $32,573 | $36,957 | $15,750 |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Dubois · Private, for-profit · 18 graduates measured | $30,839 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Triangle Tech Inc-Sunbury · Private, for-profit · 18 graduates measured | $30,839 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Carpenters
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | $79,920 | +5.0% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Carpenters | $60,580 | +3.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (1)
- 46.0201 Carpentry/Carpenter