Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
Also called: Angled Cabinetmaker, Assembler, Cabinet Assembler, Cabinet Builder, Cabinet Designer, Cabinet Door Maker, Cabinet Finisher, Cabinet Installer
Cut, shape, and assemble wooden articles or set up and operate a variety of woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, and mortisers to surface, cut, or shape lumber or to fabricate parts for wood products.
What cabinetmakers and bench carpenters do
Typical tasks
- Verify dimensions or check the quality or fit of pieces to ensure adherence to specifications.
- Produce or assemble components of articles, such as store fixtures, office equipment, cabinets, or high-grade furniture.
- Trim, sand, or scrape surfaces or joints to prepare articles for finishing.
- Measure and mark dimensions of parts on paper or lumber stock prior to cutting, following blueprints, to ensure a tight fit and quality product.
- Cut timber to the right size, and shape and trim parts of joints to ensure a snug fit, using hand tools, such as planes, chisels, or wood files.
- Match materials for color, grain, or texture, giving attention to knots or other features of the wood.
- Set up or operate machines, including power saws, jointers, mortisers, tenoners, molders, or shapers, to cut, mold, or shape woodstock or wood substitutes.
- Establish the specifications of articles to be constructed or repaired, or plan the methods or operations for shaping or assembling parts, based on blueprints, drawings, diagrams, or oral or written instructions.
- Bore holes for insertion of screws or dowels, by hand or using boring machines.
- Attach parts or subassemblies together to form completed units, using glue, dowels, nails, screws, or clamps.
- Reinforce joints with nails or other fasteners to prepare articles for finishing.
- Install hardware, such as hinges, handles, catches, or drawer pulls, using hand tools.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters salary
The median annual wage for cabinetmakers and bench carpenters is $46,680 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $35,650 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $63,720. The mean annual wage is $48,290.
The mean hourly wage of $23.00 is 3.2× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $46,680 → in 3 years $50,800 → in 5 years $53,700 → in 10 years $61,700 (10-year range $53,100–$71,600). The model assumes pay growth of +2.8% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters United States | 家具製造 Japan | 建具製造 Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $46,680 | ¥4.34M ≈ $27,611 | ¥4.34M ≈ $27,611 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $61,700 | ¥5.63M | ¥5.63M |
| Outlook score | 41 | 55 | 51 |
| AI replacement risk | 27% Low | 37% Low | 37% Low |
| Workers | 77K | — | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.