Carpenters
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.
670,090 people do this job in the US. $60,580 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 17%
- 0%
- 83%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 14%. Today's estimate: 16%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 29 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 14% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Remove damaged or defective parts or sections of structures and repair or replace, using hand tools.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Work with or remove hazardous material.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Cover subfloors with building paper to keep out moisture and lay hardwood, parquet, or wood-strip-block floors by nailing floors to subfloor or cementing them to mastic or asphalt base.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Maintain job records and schedule work crew.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Build sleds from logs and timbers for use in hauling camp buildings and machinery through wooded areas.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work days | Stays with people | |
| Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative paneling to ceilings or walls.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 5.8 h3.3 h to 1.7 work days | Stays with people | |
| Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | 91%Half by now | |
| Finish surfaces of woodwork or wallboard in houses or buildings, using paint, hand tools, or paneling.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h38 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers8% now, 8% by 2028
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers5% now, 5% by 2028
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons12% now, 13% by 2028
- Sheet Metal Workers11% now, 18% by 2028
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters5% now, 5% by 2028
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters14% now, 22% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).