Skilled trades
Carpenter in the United States
16 postings read · sampled 2026-10-01 · source ats · 9 employers · largest 25% of it
What employers actually ask for
Credentials named in the 16 postings we read, ranked by how many mentioned each one.
- OSHA 10-HourOSHA Training Institute6%
- OSHA 30-Hour ConstructionOSHA Training Institute6%
What it costs
Exam and application fees plus typical self-study hours. Almost nobody needs every credential on this list — start with the top line.
What the official taxonomy says
O*NET surveys people already doing this job. That describes who got hired over a long window, not what employers are asking for now — where it disagrees with the counts above, the counts are the more current answer.
- High school diploma or equivalent52%
- Post-secondary certificate21%
- Less than high school diploma18%
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
O*NET 47-2031.00 · pulled 2026-10-01 · percentages are of surveyed workers, each rounded separately, so they need not total 100
This sample is small enough that one posting moves any percentage by more than a couple of points, so we are not calling anything low-signal here. Read the numbers above as a direction, not a measurement.
What it pays
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A different survey from the postings above, so the two do not share a sample.
Every credential above costs $270 — about 1 day's pay at the median.
Who was hiring
Employers with at least one matching posting in this sample.
DN Tanks (DN LLC) · Chandos · City of New York · SpawGlass · George P. Johnson (GPJ) · Parent Network · PROCON · Ursa Major Technologies · Westgate Resorts
Next
- Roast and Resolve — Now aim your résumé at this target. Free roast, paid rewrite.
- Synap — Two-minute daily lessons to drill the skills underneath the credential.