# Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cabinetmakers-and-bench-carpenters
- SOC code: 51-7011.00
- Career family: Production
- Median annual pay: $46,680 (10th percentile $35,650, 90th percentile $63,720)
- Projected growth: Decline, -2.9%
- Openings a year: 6,900
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCA)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 17 |
| Artistic (A) | 25 |
| Social (S) | 2 |
| Enterprising (E) | 4 |
| Conventional (C) | 40 |

## What you'd do

- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 81/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 81/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 74/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 70/100)
- Getting Information (importance 67/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 64/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 63/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 59/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 59/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 59/100)

## Skills

Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Judgment and Decision Making, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Speaking

## Knowledge

Building and Construction, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Design, Mechanical, Administration and Management, Engineering and Technology, Education and Training, Physics, English Language

## Also called

Angled Cabinetmaker, Assembler, Cabinet Assembler, Cabinet Builder, Cabinet Designer, Cabinet Door Maker, Cabinet Finisher, Cabinet Installer, Cabinet Maker, Cabinet Professional

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Woodworking](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4807) (CIP 4807, 65 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Rhode Island School of Design RISD](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rhode-island-school-of-design-risd-2225) | Woodworking | not reported | $37,055 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Model Makers, Wood](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/model-makers-wood): $56,550 median pay
- [Furniture Finishers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/furniture-finishers): $44,540 median pay
- [Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/woodworking-machine-setters-operators-and-tenders-except-sawing): $43,380 median pay
- [Carpenters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/carpenters): $60,580 median pay
- [Patternmakers, Wood](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/patternmakers-wood): $49,630 median pay
- [Upholsterers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/upholsterers): $46,340 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.