Carpenters vs Heavy
Carpenters earns $1,940 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Carpenters | Heavy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $60,580 | $58,640 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $40,410 to $99,910 | $40,140 to $79,380 |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 0 | 0.5 |
| Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Jobs opening up each year | 62,800 | 214,500 |
| Growth by 2035 | 3.9% | 3.8% |
| People doing it now | 889,700 | 2,221,200 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $85,280 in Hawaii down to $46,910 in Oklahoma | $70,100 in Alaska down to $49,320 in Louisiana |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Carpenters
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
- Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
What these usually take: High school, then a few months to a year of on-the-job training.
Heavy
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
- Light Truck Drivers
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors
What these usually take: High school, then a few months to a year of on-the-job training.
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine SpecialistsA trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2025, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.