Helpers--Carpenters
Also called: Carpenter Apprentice, Carpenter Assistant, Carpenter HelperHelp carpenters by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 18 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 11.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 94% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,930 | $36,170 to $44,320 | 410 |
| Alaska | $39,210 | $39,130 to $44,700 | 90 |
| Arizona | $41,540 | $38,600 to $44,570 | not published |
| Arkansas | $46,800 | $37,440 to $49,070 | 100 |
| California | $49,890 | $43,150 to $64,810 | 2,670 |
| Colorado | $50,900 | $43,860 to $54,870 | 200 |
| Connecticut | $50,460 | $47,290 to $56,770 | 200 |
| Delaware | $33,920 | $31,200 to $43,730 | 190 |
| Florida | $40,220 | $36,270 to $46,280 | 2,120 |
| Georgia | $40,160 | $35,130 to $45,240 | 410 |
| Hawaii | $44,550 | $40,010 to $50,660 | not published |
| Idaho | $41,820 | $36,630 to $45,410 | not published |
| Illinois | $45,660 | $32,340 to $54,340 | not published |
| Indiana | $42,940 | $37,490 to $48,900 | 160 |
| Iowa | $39,830 | $38,510 to $44,320 | 100 |
| Kansas | $38,130 | $33,550 to $46,290 | 80 |
| Kentucky | $35,520 | $34,180 to $38,300 | not published |
| Louisiana | $40,900 | $30,470 to $48,690 | 860 |
| Maine | $50,100 | $44,550 to $52,760 | 160 |
| Maryland | $39,470 | $36,400 to $47,000 | 580 |
| Massachusetts | $48,130 | $36,750 to $56,160 | 630 |
| Michigan | $44,960 | $36,090 to $49,400 | 230 |
| Mississippi | $35,360 | $29,120 to $37,060 | 140 |
| Missouri | $32,420 | $29,110 to $42,210 | 50 |
| Montana | $42,670 | $42,670 to $48,610 | not published |
| Nebraska | $39,670 | $34,520 to $45,650 | 50 |
| Nevada | $36,230 | $28,800 to $46,260 | 540 |
| New Hampshire | $58,090 | $48,080 to $59,090 | not published |
| New Jersey | $44,040 | $33,870 to $50,300 | 840 |
| New Mexico | $37,100 | $32,900 to $47,390 | 50 |
| New York | $47,740 | $42,670 to $53,140 | 1,110 |
| North Carolina | $40,540 | $36,750 to $45,370 | 650 |
| Ohio | $44,760 | $37,390 to $47,430 | 540 |
| Oklahoma | $38,080 | $31,660 to $41,980 | 150 |
| Oregon | $43,260 | $40,960 to $51,200 | 220 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,880 | $36,980 to $47,940 | 560 |
| Puerto Rico | $24,530 | $23,040 to $29,160 | 1,410 |
| Rhode Island | $50,300 | $48,460 to $52,640 | not published |
| South Carolina | $36,090 | $31,400 to $39,360 | 200 |
| South Dakota | $34,700 | $29,610 to $38,820 | 330 |
| Tennessee | $39,790 | $37,350 to $47,650 | 440 |
| Texas | $43,950 | $33,410 to $48,270 | 2,270 |
| Utah | $35,820 | $26,730 to $40,530 | 330 |
| Vermont | $44,550 | $41,070 to $50,600 | 200 |
| Virginia | $43,730 | $39,080 to $48,900 | 1,200 |
| Washington | $46,060 | $46,060 to $56,910 | 620 |
| West Virginia | $33,760 | $31,550 to $37,720 | 320 |
| Wisconsin | $39,480 | $35,090 to $43,550 | 150 |
Nationally: $43,780. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 18 rated tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Clean work areas, machines, or equipment, to maintain a clean and safe job site. | Not published |
| Not much | Select tools, equipment, or materials from storage and transport items to work site. | Not published |
| Not much | Position and hold timbers, lumber, or paneling in place for fastening or cutting. | Not published |
| Not much | Fasten timbers or lumber with glue, screws, pegs, or nails and install hardware. | Not published |
| Not much | Align, straighten, plumb, or square forms for installation. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut timbers, lumber, or paneling to specified dimensions. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Erect scaffolding, shoring, or braces. | Not published |
| Not much | Hold plumb bobs, sighting rods, or other equipment to aid in establishing reference points and lines. | Not published |
| Not much | Drill holes in timbers or lumber. | Not published |
| Not much | Install handrails under the direction of a carpenter. | Not published |
| Not much | Construct forms and assist in raising them to the required elevation. | Not published |
| Not rated | Cut or weld metal. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut and install insulating or sound-absorbing material. | Not published |
| Not much | Glue and clamp edges or joints of assembled parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform tie spacing layout and measure, mark, drill or cut. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth or sand surfaces to remove ridges, tool marks, glue, or caulking. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Secure stakes to grids for constructions of footings, nail scabs to footing forms, and vibrate and float concrete. O*NET flags this task's ratings as uncertain | Not published |
| Not much | Cover surfaces with laminated plastic covering material. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut tile or linoleum to fit and spread adhesives on flooring for installation. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut materials | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Position tools or equipment |
Show all 14 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Set up protective structures or coverings near work areas | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for helpers--carpenters specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 1,782 moves out
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 2 Construction Laborers Low +7.3% 7%
- 3 Carpenters Low +3.9% 6%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 6%
- 5 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,106 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 10%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 7%
- 3 Construction Laborers Low +7.3% 5%
- 4 Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers High +3.7% 4%
- 5 Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Low +1.5% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 30% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 17% some college
- 1% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades” · 300 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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