What Does a Cabinet Maker Do?
Cabinetry is judged years later, by drawers that still close and doors that still hang straight. Cabinet makers build kitchen runs, built-in storage and lab benches in a woodshop, then fit them in homes, offices and schools with joints and finishes that stand up to slamming, scrubbing and spills.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Cabinet Assembler, Cabinet Builder, Cabinet Installer, Cabinetmaker, Double End Tenon Operator, Frame Builder, Framer, Woodworker.
Cabinet Maker Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a cabinet maker include:
- Read shop drawings and cut lists, and confirm measurements on site before building.
- Cut plywood, hardwood and melamine panels on table saws, panel saws or a CNC router.
- Join case parts with dadoes, dowels, pocket screws or mortise-and-tenon joints.
- Band panel edges, drill hinge holes and fit drawer slides, pulls and shelf pins.
- Sand, stain and spray lacquer or conversion varnish in a ventilated finishing booth.
- Install finished cabinets, countertops and built-in shelving, trimming them to fit uneven walls and floors.
- Repair or refinish worn casework, lab benches and display cases in offices and classrooms.
- Sharpen blades and bits, and keep saws, jointers and planers tuned and guarded.
- Estimate board feet, sheet goods and hardware for each job and order whatever is short.
- Build custom pieces from rough sketches when no formal drawings exist.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a cabinet maker, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Accurate measuring with tape, square and calipers
- Table saw, jointer, planer and router skills
- CNC router operation and cabinet software such as Cabinet Vision
- Spray finishing and color matching
- Knowledge of wood species, sheet goods and hardware
- Patience for fine joinery and fitting
- Safe habits around blades and dust
- Reading shop drawings and elevations
Education and Training
Shop owners like to see photos of finished pieces, so keep a record of everything you build. Bench work under an experienced maker is how the trade is passed on, often starting in a helper's job after high school. Woodworking classes at a community college are a good way to sharpen skills and start a portfolio.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $38,830 - $55,760 per year, with a median of $46,680.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters.
BLS projects employment of cabinetmakers and bench carpenters to decline about 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. That is a slow decline, and the same projections still show roughly 6,900 openings a year as experienced makers retire. Work tends to follow home building and remodeling, especially in custom shops, and makers who can both program a CNC router and finish by hand find it easier to stay busy.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters.
Cabinet Maker Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $35,650 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $38,830 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $46,680 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $55,760 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $63,720 |
Highest-Paying States for Cabinet Makers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Delaware ($60,090), New York ($58,680), Connecticut ($58,100), Massachusetts ($58,040), New Hampshire ($57,980). Pay is lowest in Alabama ($38,550), Texas ($38,340), Oklahoma ($36,630).
Median pay in all 49 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $38,550 |
| Arizona | $45,580 |
| Arkansas | $50,070 |
| California | $49,030 |
| Colorado | $49,610 |
| Connecticut | $58,100 |
| Delaware | $60,090 |
| Florida | $46,360 |
| Georgia | $42,280 |
| Hawaii | $49,050 |
| Idaho | $44,870 |
| Illinois | $50,160 |
| Indiana | $45,550 |
| Iowa | $47,110 |
| Kansas | $41,350 |
| Kentucky | $40,440 |
| Louisiana | $39,280 |
| Maine | $48,150 |
| Maryland | $49,180 |
| Massachusetts | $58,040 |
| Michigan | $48,550 |
| Minnesota | $48,740 |
| Mississippi | $38,800 |
| Missouri | $45,980 |
| Montana | $47,920 |
| Nebraska | $48,600 |
| Nevada | $47,780 |
| New Hampshire | $57,980 |
| New Jersey | $51,760 |
| New Mexico | $47,210 |
| New York | $58,680 |
| North Carolina | $46,010 |
| North Dakota | $47,140 |
| Ohio | $47,430 |
| Oklahoma | $36,630 |
| Oregon | $46,910 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,610 |
| Rhode Island | $52,800 |
| South Carolina | $47,680 |
| South Dakota | $45,950 |
| Tennessee | $46,440 |
| Texas | $38,340 |
| Utah | $46,390 |
| Vermont | $57,620 |
| Virginia | $45,910 |
| Washington | $48,710 |
| West Virginia | $42,400 |
| Wisconsin | $46,790 |
| Wyoming | $46,380 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as cabinetmakers and bench carpenters about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 88% spend more than half the workday on their feet
- 76% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 75% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 70% work around hazardous equipment every day
- 57% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 47% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week
- 46% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| High school diploma or GED | 62% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 27% |
| Less than high school | 11% |
Tools and Software Cabinet Makers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Speaking, Critical Thinking.
Knowledge areas used most: Mathematics, Building and Construction, Production and Processing, Mechanical, Design.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Cabinet Maker Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 51-7011.00 (Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.