A smiling carpenter planes a board in a workshop stacked with timber

Carpentry classes by state

345 carpentry programs in 39 states and 1 territory, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

235 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Compare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

Carpenters build, repair and install building frameworks and structures made from wood and other materials. Most have a high school diploma and learn on the job or through an apprenticeship.¹

Compare carpentry classes by state: cost, pay and results

Carpentry classes by state
State	Programs	Most cost	Earned a year, estimated	Working 6 months later	Finished
Alabama	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Alaska	15	$2,718 to $6,684	about $24,900	61%	94%
Arizona	7	$1,872 to $3,514	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Arkansas	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
California	8	$906 to $3,396	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Delaware	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Florida	12	$3,464 to $5,358	Not reported	Not reported	70%
Georgia	5	$2,526 to $5,736	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Hawaii	5	$3,300 to $11,678	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Illinois	12	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Indiana	14	$2,375 to $5,840	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Iowa	12	$5,923 to $10,836	about $27,200	59%	59%
Kansas	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Kentucky	11	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Louisiana	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maine	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Maryland	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Massachusetts	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Michigan	11	$4,500 to $10,000	Not reported	Not reported	89%
Minnesota	20	$5,403 to $9,011	about $28,700	73%	63%
Mississippi	13	$3,942 to $7,750	about $14,600	63%	100%
Missouri	20	$5,073 to $11,924	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Nebraska	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Hampshire	5	$2,100 to $2,100	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New Jersey	2	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
New York	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Carolina	6	$190 to $3,270	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
North Dakota	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Ohio	15	$3,550 to $9,695	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Oklahoma	9	$2,100 to $2,351	about $30,500	Not reported	82%
Pennsylvania	19	$7,082 to $17,000	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
South Dakota	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Texas	17	$1,716 to $4,495	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
US Virgin Islands	4	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Utah	3	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Vermont	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Virginia	15	$1,770 to $2,427	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Washington	41	$1,272 to $6,683	about $38,800	59%	36%
Wisconsin	16	$3,596 to $5,763	about $36,600	69%	80%
Wyoming	1	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer carpentry classes too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Are there free carpentry classes in the US?

WIOA funding can pay for carpentry classes in the US

Every program on this page is approved for WIOA funding: public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. It can pay for training for eligible adults, people who lost their job and young people.²People on public assistance, with a low income or lacking basic skills come first, and veterans have priority.³Your state or local area may limit how much WIOA pays and for how long. If a program costs more, a Pell Grant, a scholarship or severance pay can cover the rest.⁴

Ask at an American Job Center

Eligibility rules apply, and services vary from state to state. Your local American Job Center can tell you whether you qualify. The Department of Labor's page links to the center finder, or call 1-877-US-2JOBS (1-877-872-5627).⁵

Or pay for carpentry classes yourself

Without funding, prices differ by state: most carpentry programs cost $906 to $3,396 in California and $7,082 to $17,000 in Pennsylvania. Each state's page lists every program with its price.

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Where the carpentry program numbers by state come from

Which carpentry programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).⁵ Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where too few programs report a figure, the table says "Not reported".

Other training by state

Approved programs per trade across every state. Each opens that trade's comparison by state.

Sources for the facts about carpentry classes

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