Best Carpenter Schools in Illinois (2026)

Quick answer: Carpenters in Illinois earn a median of $79,000 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited carpenter schools in Illinois with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Carpenter training in Illinois prepares students for entry-level work across the wider Illinois labor market. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $79,000 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Illinois Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$79,000BLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$39,890 to $117,660BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Illinois metro for this fieldKankakee, IL, $95,280BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+4.5% growth, about 74,100 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Federal prevailing wage in Illinois (Davis-Bacon)$57.38 per hour totalDOL WHD Davis-Bacon, 2026
State employment19,570 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Illinois location quotient0.74BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Carpenter Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Illinois figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools within 154 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Waukesha County Technical College

Pewaukee, WI 146.7 miles away BOC Score 62.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 45.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 84
  • Annual completions: 3510
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,764 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL 59.8 miles away BOC Score 59.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 45
  • Annual completions: 1275
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,678 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Madison Area Technical College

Madison, WI 147.1 miles away BOC Score 59.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 27.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 120
  • Annual completions: 4231
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,207 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, IL 95.8 miles away BOC Score 57.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 45.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 63
  • Annual completions: 2126
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,163 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA 153.6 miles away BOC Score 56.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71
  • Annual completions: 1775
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,663 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Gateway Technical College

Kenosha, WI 123.9 miles away BOC Score 56.0
Tuition $4,956 - $16,242
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 49.0%
  • Programs offered: 101
  • Annual completions: 4053
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,142 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Triton College

River Grove, IL 84.7 miles away BOC Score 54.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71
  • Annual completions: 1558
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,701 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Milwaukee, WI 149.9 miles away BOC Score 52.5
Tuition $5,184 - $17,359
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 24.6%
  • Programs offered: 128
  • Annual completions: 3894
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,346 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA 116.9 miles away BOC Score 50.1
Tuition $6,420 - $17,371
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 43.4%
  • Programs offered: 34
  • Annual completions: 1015
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,941 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

Eastern Iowa Community College District

Davenport, IA 91.7 miles away BOC Score 47.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 39.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 49
  • Annual completions: 1489
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,929 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Parkland College

Champaign, IL 69.9 miles away BOC Score 40.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 32.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 72
  • Annual completions: 811
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,315 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College

Chicago, IL 85.9 miles away BOC Score 37.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 28.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 38
  • Annual completions: 833
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,247 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Carpenter Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Carpenters
Carpenters annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $40410, P25 $48510, P50 $60580, P75 $76830, P90 $99910.10th$40,41025th$48,51050th (median)$60,58075th$76,83090th$99,910
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Carpenters annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$40,410
25th$48,510
50th (median)$60,580
75th$76,830
90th$99,910
Projected employment growth, United States, Carpenters, 2024-2034
Carpenters employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 959000; 2034 projected employment 1.0021e+06; percent change +4.5%.2024959,000 jobs2034 (proj.)1,002,100 jobsChange: +4.5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Carpenters employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024959,000
2034 projected1,002,100
Percent change+4.5%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does carpenter training take in Illinois?

Carpenter certificate programs in Illinois typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Many carpenters also enter the field through a registered apprenticeship, which combines paid on-the-job training with related classroom instruction and usually takes 3 to 5 years to complete. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do carpenters earn in Illinois?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), carpenters in Illinois earned a median annual wage of approximately $79,000. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $39,890 to $117,660 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many carpenter schools are in Illinois?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)