# Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters

US SOC code 51-7011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/51-7011

Also called: Cabinetmaker, Bench carpenter, Cabinet builder, Custom cabinet maker, Furniture builder.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **77,170** US cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, with median pay of **$46,680** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **128,730**, in May 2007. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/furnituremaking/) of **1,290** from 1820, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for cabinetmakers and bench carpenters: CNC routers and CAD/CAM software, 1980 to 2000.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 2.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **4.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1700
- Latest US employment: 77,170 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $46,680 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [11]
- Outlook: -2.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [28]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 72311)
  - Employment, 2020: 15,900. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 72311 Cabinetmakers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$42,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [14]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 72311 Cabinetmakers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1820 | 1,290 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia [1] |
| 1870 | 68,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1940 [2] |
| 1900 | 81,000 | $455 (estimate) | Decennial Census 1900 (employment) [3]; Est., Annual earnings estimate for a… (pay) [10] |
| 1950 | 130,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1950 [4] |
| 2000 | 132,630 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 126,350 | $24,550 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 121,380 | $25,290 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 121,660 | $26,020 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 127,780 | $27,010 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 128,730 | $27,970 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 120,960 | $28,980 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 99,870 | $29,570 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 84,170 | $30,130 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 81,260 | $30,530 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 78,140 | $30,980 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 82,770 | $31,110 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 88,170 | $31,580 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 93,650 | $32,270 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 97,980 | $33,050 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 97,820 | $33,920 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 102,100 | $34,740 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 99,400 | $35,790 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 93,300 | $36,710 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 93,070 | $37,540 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 95,980 | $38,810 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 88,460 | $43,260 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 79,540 | $46,020 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 77,170 | $46,680 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (89)

### Employment series

1. [Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, "Furnituremaking" (1,290 Philadelphia cabinetmakers, 1820-1840)](https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/furnituremaking/), Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (Rutgers University-Camden)
2. [US Census Bureau — Comparative Occupation Statistics 1870-1930 (1940 Census, Chapter II, Table on cabinet makers)](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-occupation/00312147ch2.pdf), US Bureau of the Census
3. [US Census Bureau — 1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (cabinet makers tabulation)](https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/occupations/occupations-part-3.pdf), US Bureau of the Census
4. [IPUMS USA — 1950 Census occupational documentation (furniture manufacturing workers, OCC1950 basis)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

10. [Annual earnings estimate for a cabinetmaker c.1900 (~$8.75/week x 52), derived from BLS weekly wage series for cabinetmakers in 'History of Wages in the United States from Colonial Times to 1928' (BLS Bulletin No. 604) and BLS Bulletin No. 22 (May 1899)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/history-wages-united-states-colonial-times-1928-4126/fulltext), Derived estimate from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics weekly-wage data (via FRASER, St. Louis Fed)
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

15. [Project Gutenberg — "The Cabinetmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg" (Colonial Williamsburg Research Publication)](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57211/57211-h/57211-h.htm), Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
16. [Metropolitan Museum of Art — "American Furniture 1730-1790: Queen Anne and Chippendale Styles"](https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/american-furniture-1730-1790-queen-anne-and-chippendale-styles), Metropolitan Museum of Art
17. [Chipstone Foundation — "Grand Rapids Furniture: The Story of America's Furniture City" (American Furniture, 1999)](https://chipstone.org/article.php/378/American-Furniture-1999/Grand-Rapids-Furniture:-The-Story-of-America%27s-Furniture-City), Chipstone Foundation
18. [Fox 17 Online — "Furniture City: the story behind Grand Rapids's original identity"](https://www.fox17online.com/fox-17-unfiltered/did-ya-know/furniture-city-the-story-behind-grand-rapidss-original-identity), Fox 17 Online
19. [Wurth Machinery — "History of CNC Machine: From MIT Labs to Modern Cabinet Shops"](https://www.wurthmachinery.com/blog/history-of-cnc-machine/), Wurth Machinery
20. [Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia — "Furnituremaking" (post-war cabinetry industry context)](https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/furnituremaking/), Rutgers University / Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
21. [Front Range CNC — "The Evolution of Industrial CNC Routers: A Look at the Past, Present, and Future"](https://frontrangecnc.com/2023/04/15/the-evolution-of-industrial-cnc-routers-a-look-at-the-past-present-and-future/), Front Range CNC
22. [IKEA — "The history of the revolutionary IKEA flatpacks" (US entry 1985, market-share growth)](https://www.ikea.com/ph/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/the-story-of-ikea-flatpacks-puba710ccb0/), IKEA
23. [BLS — "Forty years of falling manufacturing employment" (wood products and furniture sector job loss)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-9/forty-years-of-falling-manufacturing-employment.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Mozaik Software — Mozaik Products (CAD/CAM cabinet design and CNC integration)](https://www.mozaiksoftware.com/mozaik-products), Mozaik Software
25. [Hexagon — Cabinet Vision product page (CAD/CAM for cabinet manufacturing)](https://hexagon.com/products/product-groups/computer-aided-manufacturing-cad-cam-software/cabinet-vision), Hexagon AB
26. [Toolstoday.com — "AI in Woodworking (2026 Update)"](https://toolstoday.com/learn/incorporating-ai-into-the-woodworking-design-process), Toolstoday.com
27. [Vizcom — AI sketch-to-render (product page)](https://vizcom.com/), Vizcom

### Forecasts and exposure studies

28. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 51-7011 Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters (2025: 81.8 thousand; 2035: 79.4 thousand; -2.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=51-7011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
29. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 51-7011.00, human-rated β 0.044)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

30. [Metropolitan Museum of Art — "Thomas Chippendale's Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director"](https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/thomas-chippendales-gentleman-and-cabinet-makers-director), Metropolitan Museum of Art
31. [Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia — "Furnituremaking" (labor organizing among cabinetmakers, 1829)](https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/furnituremaking/), Rutgers University / Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
32. [Chipstone Foundation — "Grand Rapids Furniture: The Story of America's Furniture City" (railroad arrival 1857, employment peak)](https://chipstone.org/article.php/378/American-Furniture-1999/Grand-Rapids-Furniture:-The-Story-of-America%27s-Furniture-City), Chipstone Foundation
33. [Wurth Machinery — "History of CNC Machine: From MIT Labs to Modern Cabinet Shops" (1966 woodworking NC machine)](https://www.wurthmachinery.com/blog/history-of-cnc-machine/), Wurth Machinery
34. [IKEA — "The history of the revolutionary IKEA flatpacks" (US entry 1985, market-share growth)](https://www.ikea.com/ph/en/this-is-ikea/about-us/the-story-of-ikea-flatpacks-puba710ccb0/), IKEA
35. [BLS — "Forty years of falling manufacturing employment: Beyond the Numbers" (furniture/wood products sector employment decline)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-9/forty-years-of-falling-manufacturing-employment.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

36. [Project Gutenberg — "The Cabinetmaker in Eighteenth-Century Williamsburg" (joiner-to-cabinetmaker role differentiation)](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57211/57211-h/57211-h.htm), Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET OnLine: Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters (51-7011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/51-7011.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Woodworkers (2024-34 projections)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/woodworkers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Recruiter.com: Career Outlook for Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters](https://recruiter.com/careers/cabinetmakers-and-bench-carpenters/outlook/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al., "GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Models" (Science, 2024)](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0998), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Mozaik Software: Optimizer and CNC Features](https://www.mozaiksoftware.com/mozaik-products/mozaik-cnc), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Hexagon: CABINET VISION product page](https://hexagon.com/products/product-groups/computer-aided-manufacturing-cad-cam-software/cabinet-vision), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Toolstoday.com: AI in Woodworking (2026 Update)](https://toolstoday.com/learn/incorporating-ai-into-the-woodworking-design-process), accessed 2026-06-05
- [SketchList 3D: Cabinet Design Software for Woodworkers](https://sketchlist.com/blog/best-cabinet-design-software/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Mozaik Software: Cabinet Design and Estimating](https://www.mozaiksoftware.com/mozaik-products), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.