7 of the Best Types of Carpentry Jobs in 2026

Discover some great types of Carpentry jobs that are hiring now.

High Paying Carpentry Jobs

• Freelance Carpentry

  Salary range: $50,500 - $128,500

  Freelancers are self-employed. As a freelancer, you provide work to clients and invoice them for it. The type of clients you have depends on what kind of services you offer. Your clients can be individuals or companies. A full-time freelancer often has assignments from multiple clients at once. Some common services that people provide as freelancers are: writing, editing, graphic design, web design, marketing, programming, accounting, and bookkeeping. Freelancing is ideal for those who prefer to be their own boss and are willing to market themselves to meet their income goals.

• Carpentry Manager

  Salary range: $50,000 - $101,000

  Managers supervise a team of people; they establish goals, assign tasks, and measure progress. The specific responsibilities of someone in a management position will vary based on the company and industry they work in, but their primary responsibilities remain largely the same. Managers monitor the accomplishments of their staff, focusing on the overall goals of the department. They work with Human Resources to determine and address staffing needs, coordinate and delegate responsibilities, check employee performance, and provide additional training and direction when necessary.

• Journeyman Carpentry

  Salary range: $52,500 - $68,500

  Journeyman Carpentry is a common job search query. Most salaries for Journeyman Carpentry jobs pay between $52,500 (25th percentile) and $68,500 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Journeyman Carpentry job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Union Carpentry

  Salary range: $43,500 - $59,000

  For those who work for unions, some of the specific jobs include researchers, organizers, administrators, lawyers, communications workers, and clerical staff. Your duties include entering workplaces to speak with workers and provide them encouragement and support if they are interested in joining a specific union, or to negotiate with employers for better working conditions, pay, or benefits for union members. There are numerous types of unions, including health care, public sector, construction, writing, and service workers unions, and they represent a variety of professions, such as nurses, journalists, manufacturers, construction workers, municipal workers, and hotel workers, to name only a few.

• Carpentry Apprentice

  Salary range: $36,000 - $48,000

  Carpentry Apprentice is a popular job search query. Most salaries for Carpentry Apprentice jobs pay between $36,000 (25th percentile) and $48,000 (75th percentile) annually. Currently, there are not many open positions nationwide for Carpentry Apprentice job searches hiring now on ZipRecruiter. You can take a look at what is available and find similar job searches in this list.

• Summer Carpentry

  Salary range: $34,500 - $44,000

  Summer jobs are an integral part of American culture for students in their teens and beyond, but not all summer jobs are created equal. The difference between a great summer and an awful one can be the right job. According to Forbes, some good summer jobs for teens are camp counselor, golf caddy, nanny, food service, retail sales, and, of course, internships.

• Entry Level Carpentry

  Salary range: $36,000 - $42,500

  Entry-level jobs are positions that do not require any previous experience in the role. Most entry-level jobs are aimed at high school or college graduates as a starting point for a future career goal. A college student may have majored in their ideal career field, but will still need to start in an entry-level position to train in a real-world environment. Some students move from internships into entry-level jobs, but most entry-level jobs do not expect a candidate to have any prior employment or on-site training.