Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Carpenter vs Elevator Mechanic
Carpenters earn a national median of $61,080 versus $116,702 for Elevator Mechanics, a gap of $55,622 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Carpenters have posted +2% 5-year wage growth versus +3% for Elevator Mechanics.
How These Trades Stack Up
Elevator Mechanics out-earn Carpenters on national median by $55,622 — $116,702 versus $61,080, or about 91% more. That gap reflects differences in apprenticeship length, certification requirements, industry concentration, and union footprint between the two trades.
Both trades have posted comparable 5-year wage growth — Carpenters at +2% versus Elevator Mechanics at +3%. That suggests both occupations sit in similar parts of the demand cycle, with neither pulling ahead structurally.
Both trades follow a 4-year apprenticeship pathway — paid on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction, registered through the U.S. Department of Labor at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/. Apprentice pay typically scales from roughly 40% of journeyman wage in year one to 95% by the final year.
Carpenter
Construction · 4yr apprenticeship
Elevator Mechanic
Specialty · 4yr apprenticeship
City-by-City Comparison
| City | Carpenter | Elevator Mechanic | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $80,950 | $164,020 | -$83,070 |
| Seattle, WA | $76,760 | $137,040 | -$60,280 |
| Chicago, IL | $76,510 | $141,380 | -$64,870 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $75,710 | $124,740 | -$49,030 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $73,840 | $136,920 | -$63,080 |
| Boston, MA | $73,800 | $143,180 | -$69,380 |
| New York, NY | $69,680 | $127,040 | -$57,360 |
| Portland, OR | $65,810 | $134,010 | -$68,200 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $62,350 | $114,870 | -$52,520 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $62,260 | $57,470 | +$4,790 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $61,870 | $113,710 | -$51,840 |
| Denver, CO | $61,470 | $122,880 | -$61,410 |
| Kansas City, MO | $61,040 | $121,960 | -$60,920 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $59,650 | $109,970 | -$50,320 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $59,410 | $104,150 | -$44,740 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $59,030 | $110,500 | -$51,470 |
| Atlanta, GA | $51,390 | $67,510 | -$16,120 |
| Raleigh, NC | $49,520 | $105,610 | -$56,090 |
| Tampa, FL | $49,170 | $103,860 | -$54,690 |
| Dallas, TX | $48,420 | $104,470 | -$56,050 |
| Miami, FL | $48,400 | $105,460 | -$57,060 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
All wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2024) release at bls.gov/oes. National medians are the BLS-published median wages for the trade's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code; metropolitan medians come from the same OEWS release at the metropolitan statistical area level. Five-year wage growth compares the current OEWS median to the same series five releases prior, expressed as a percent change. The Trade Pay Score weights raw pay (30%), wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade — read the full methodology.
Forward-looking employment projections through 2032 for both trades are published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship pathway detail comes from the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Carpenters or Elevator Mechanics make more money?
Elevator Mechanics earn more on national median — $116,702 versus $61,080, a gap of $55,622 per 2024 BLS OEWS data. The full BLS dataset is published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Which trade has stronger 5-year wage growth?
Elevator Mechanics have posted faster wage growth at +3% versus +2% for Carpenters. Sustained gaps in growth often compound meaningfully over a 20-30 year career.
How long is the apprenticeship for each trade?
Carpenters typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Elevator Mechanics typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship. Programs are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
Which trade has better employment depth?
Carpenters have 299,230 workers employed nationally; Elevator Mechanics have 9,770. Larger employment bases generally translate into more job openings, easier mobility between employers, and lower volatility — useful when comparing the long-term resilience of two trade pathways.
Where can I find apprenticeships for either trade?
Registered apprenticeship programs for both Carpenter and Elevator Mechanic are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/, which lets you filter by trade, state, and city. Projected employment growth through 2032 for each occupation is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Carpenters earn a national median of $61,080 versus $116,702 for Elevator Mechanics, a gap of $55,622 per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. Carpenters have posted +2% 5-year wage growth versus +3% for Elevator Mechanics.
The side-by-side above pulls the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey data for both Carpenter and Elevator Mechanic. What follows is the interpretation — which specific axes carry the most weight for Carpenter versus Elevator Mechanic, and which differences are large enough to influence a real decision.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Carpenter and Elevator Mechanic detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.