Getting into a carpenter apprenticeship
Carpenters earn a median of $60,580 a year across the US. Here is what the application actually asks for.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · survey 2025-05
Building and installing structures and fixtures in wood and other materials. The widest trade in this directory: framing, formwork, finish carpentry, scaffolding and millwork are close to different jobs.
What year one actually looks like
On a crew, carrying, measuring, cutting, and learning to be accurate at speed. Outdoors more than the other trades here.
5 common requirements
What they ask for
- 18 or older for most programs.
- High-school diploma or GED for formal apprenticeships.
- Basic math, especially fractions and geometry. You will use them every hour.
- Reliable transportation to sites that move.
- Drug screen and physical.
These are what most programs ask. Every sponsor sets its own, so check the program page before you rely on any of it.
Math, reading, an interview
The test
Commonly a math and reading assessment plus an interview. Some programs weigh construction experience or a shop class.
When to apply
Union training centers tend to run defined intakes; contractor-sponsored programs hire closer to continuously and follow building activity.
We do not list application dates, because no registry publishes them and we will not invent one. Calling the training center and asking is the only reliable way, and it takes five minutes.
3 next steps
If you are not ready yet
- Get comfortable with a tape measure and fractions. It is tested and it is used constantly.
- Pre-apprenticeship programs are common in carpentry and are a genuine route in.
- Ask about which specialty a program leads to. Formwork and finish carpentry are very different lives.
None of this disqualifies you permanently. Most of it is a few months of work.
415 carpenter programs listed