Carpenters - Employment & Outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

Employment

Major employers:

House construction companies
Office and industrial building construction companies
Framing contractors
Finish carpentry contractors

Outlook

Job growth for carpenters will be about average. Demand for housing increases as the population grows. Jobs will also be created when government spending increases for projects such as bridges and roads.

However, builders are using more pre-built components, such as wall panels and stairs. These can be installed very quickly, lowering the need for carpenters. In addition, improved glues and lightweight, cordless tools make carpenters more efficient.

Carpenters sometimes have periods of unemployment. This is due to the short-term nature of many jobs and construction slow downs during colder months. During economic slowdowns, the number of job openings for carpenters declines. Carpenters who have all-round skills will have the best job prospects.

Carpenters (CIS 100265)

Location	Employment	&	Growth		>>>>	Annual openings
			This occupation	All occupations
Illinois	31,602 Very large	&	4.3%	8.2%	>>>>	3,091 Very High
Champaign Area	820 Very large	&	-0.7%	5.2%	>>>>	74 Moderate
Charleston-Effingham-Centralia Area	783 Very large	&	-0.3%	2.9%	>>>>	72 High
Cook County	11,469 Very large	&	6.8%	9.2%	>>>>	1,164 Very High
Decatur Area	588 Very large	&	2.9%	3.8%	>>>>	56 High
DeKalb-Elgin-Aurora Area	1,961 Very large	&	4.0%	10.3%	>>>>	191 High
Du Page County	3,485 Very large	&	2.9%	8.8%	>>>>	333 High
Edwardsville Area	842 Very large	&	4.0%	12.4%	>>>>	82 High
Jacksonville-Carlinville-Litchfield Area	246 Large	&	-5.7%	-0.2%	>>>>	21 Few
Kankakee-Morris-Pontiac Area	556 Very large	&	-0.7%	6.0%	>>>>	51 Moderate
Lake County	1,944 Very large	&	8.3%	11.7%	>>>>	201 High
McHenry County	930 Very large	&	6.5%	7.6%	>>>>	94 High
Mt Vernon-Marion-Carbondale Area	456 Large	&	-3.9%	4.4%	>>>>	39 Few
Northwest Illinois Area	646 Very large	&	3.1%	4.3%	>>>>	62 Moderate
Peoria-Bloomington Area	1,470 Very large	&	1.4%	4.5%	>>>>	137 High
Quincy-Macomb-Galesburg Area	497 Large	&	-1.4%	3.5%	>>>>	44 Moderate
Rock Island-Moline Area	540 Very large	&	-1.7%	5.6%	>>>>	48 Moderate
Rockford Area	942 Very large	&	4.7%	6.6%	>>>>	92 High
Shawnee National Forest Area	174 Large	&	-6.3%	1.1%	>>>>	14 Few
Springfield Area	663 Very large	&	0.5%	4.6%	>>>>	61 Moderate
St Louis-Belleville Area	923 Very large	&	-1.2%	0.9%	>>>>	83 High
Vermilion County	132 Large	&	-17.4%	-0.5%	>>>>	10 Few
Will County	1,845 Very large	&	6.5%	14.9%	>>>>	187 High
United States	923,100 Very large	&	4.2%	4.0%	>>>>	76,500 Very High