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CareerOneStop reports these 2025 Massachusetts wage figures for Carpenters, SOC 47-2031, using BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data.
Last updated October 5, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.
Career guide · Massachusetts
This guide explains Massachusetts carpenter career levels, wages, legal requirements, training options, credentials, and hiring expectations.
Carpenters in Massachusetts 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, construction math, material knowledge, and dependable jobsite performance. Massachusetts offers entry routes through employers, registered apprenticeships, vocational programs, workforce training, and union apprenticeship pathways. Workers can progress from apprentice roles into independent journeyman work and eventually lead or supervisory positions. This guide covers Massachusetts 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.
Massachusetts carpenters generally progress through supervised training, independent skilled work, and increasing leadership responsibility.
Build foundational carpentry skills through supervised work, safety training, tool use, measuring, and technical instruction.
Work independently on complex carpentry tasks, apply trade knowledge, and take responsibility for quality, productivity, and jobsite safety.
Lead experienced carpentry work, coordinate crews, solve complex jobsite problems, and maintain quality across assigned work.
Carpenters in Massachusetts start around $23.19 an hour and reach $59.08 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $36.16.
See the full carpenter salary guide →Massachusetts does not require an employee to hold a separate carpenter license, but certain construction projects require licensed Construction Supervisor oversight and covered residential contractors must register with the Home Improvement Contractor program.
Massachusetts has registered apprenticeships, workforce funded pre apprenticeship programs, and structured carpentry training through technical schools.
Massachusetts carpentry employers look for workers who can work safely, read plans, measure accurately, and deliver consistent work without creating avoidable rework.
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 | +$1 | $2,080 | $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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