Pick a trade and state to see real hourly rates.
CareerOneStop reports Illinois 2025 carpenter wages for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031, at these low, median, and high hourly levels.
Last updated October 5, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.
Pick a trade and state to see real hourly rates.
CareerOneStop reports Illinois 2025 carpenter wages for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031, at these low, median, and high hourly levels.
Last updated October 5, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.
Career guide · Illinois
This guide explains Illinois carpenter career levels, wages, legal requirements, training options, credentials, and hiring expectations.
Carpenters in Illinois build, install, repair, and finish structures using wood and related materials. Common work includes framing walls and roofs, installing doors and windows, reading plans, performing layout, and completing interior or exterior finishes. Employers look for accurate measuring, safe tool use, blueprint reading, material knowledge, physical coordination, and dependable jobsite performance. Illinois offers entry routes through employers, registered apprenticeships, community colleges, technical programs, and workforce training. Workers can progress from helper or apprentice roles into independent skilled work and eventually lead or supervisory positions. This guide covers Illinois career levels, wages, legal requirements, training options, credentials, recruiter expectations, and common barriers to advancement.
A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.
Illinois carpenters generally progress by building supervised experience, technical skills, independence, and leadership responsibility.
An apprentice develops core carpentry skills while working under supervision and receiving structured training.
Work independently on more complex carpentry tasks, apply trade knowledge, and take responsibility for quality, productivity, and jobsite safety.
Lead experienced carpentry work, coordinate crews or projects, solve complex jobsite problems, and serve as a senior trade resource.
Carpenters in Illinois start around $19.18 an hour and reach $56.57 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $37.98.
See the full carpenter salary guide →Illinois does not identify a separate statewide carpenter license for ordinary employee carpentry work; contractor and permit requirements can depend on the jurisdiction and type of construction.
Illinois offers carpentry training through public colleges, registered apprenticeships, and union construction training programs.
Illinois carpentry employers look for workers who can work safely, read plans, use tools correctly, and deliver reliable, accurate work with minimal supervision.
Inconsistent Jobsite Attendance
Repeated Measuring and Layout Errors
Unsafe Tool and Equipment Practices
Weak Blueprint Reading Skills
Poor Material Preparation Habits
Unclear Jobsite Communication Skills
Limited Crew Leadership Skills
The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCCER Carpentry Level 2 | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $190 | 5 weeks |
| Scaffold User/Competent Person (OSHA-aligned) | +$1 | $2,080 | $210 | 5 weeks |
| NCCER Carpentry Level 1 | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $190 | 6 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person (OSHA-aligned) | +$0.75 | $1,560 | $165 | 6 weeks |
| First Aid/CPR (OSHA-aligned) | +$0.25 | $520 | $70 | 7 weeks |
| OSHA 10-Hour Construction | +$0.25 | $520 | $85 | 9 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.50 | $1,040 | $170 | 9 weeks |
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